If You Only Knew
by Harley-Hardy01
Summary: What does Jeff's new girlfriend have against his best friend Drea - will it tear apart a lifelong friendship? will the 2 best friends finally get it together? All core group members/OC's - STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT with possible violence.
1. Chapter 1

_**To my readers - well I am back; just like I promised I would be :) I just wanted to thank you for being so patient with me. In the future I promise I will not be posting anything unless it is finished. I think that I have gotten back in to my groove - so here's hoping lol. I love you all to bits and I appreciate all of you for waiting around for me and sticking by me. With that said, I hope that you enjoy this new fic and that it was worth the wait. :)**_

**_DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT CLAIM TO KNOW THE HARDY'S OR ANYONE FAMOUS IN THIS FIC. So therefore; please do not take anything as truth in whole or in part. All character's belong to themselves, Drea and Phoebe are a work of imagination; any reference to anyone real is not intended. Thank you & Enjoy. And as always; please let me know if you want more :)_**

_**If you only knew!**_

_**Written By; Harley-Mac.**_

_**Date Started; 09/08/2009.**_

_**PROLOGUE;**_

_**A YEAR AGO; CAMERON, NORTH CAROLINA;**_

**_Drea__'s POV;_**

'_My life as I knew it was over. Everywhere I turned there was reminders of everything that I had lost; photo's, little post it notes on the fridge, little nik naks that he had gotten me, his cloths were littered around the bedroom and the scent of his aftershave hung heavy in the air. Even his games console was still lying out where he had left it when he had headed towards his fate – a fate that no one could have foretold._

_Why couldn't we have known?_

_Why couldn't we have been given some kind of clue that it was going to happen?_

_My husband, my confidant and my lover – Daniel, he had walked in to my life just when I had needed him. My life had seemed to spiral downwards; my feelings for my best friend were intense and scary but we had agreed that being friends was more important than being together as a couple. Hugging Daniel's shirt close to me; the scent of his Dunhill aftershave stuck to the shirt and my eyes were once again watering at the memories of when I had met him flooded my mind in a single wave so debilitating that it could have rivalled a tsunami._

_My friends and I had been in City Limits in town, I was drowning my sorrows after having come to the agreement with Jeff about us remaining friends and nothing more. Daniel had been watching me from the minute that I walked in to the popular bar, he caged my mood and picked the right moment to come over and offer to buy me a drink. For the remainder of the night we had talked, laughed and spent the majority of the time on the dance floor. Without even knowing or trying; Daniel had taken my mind off the fact that my heart felt like it would never recover from the pain that shot through me when Jeff and I had agreed to just be friends. At the end of the night we exchanged numbers and when I got home – the phone rang; it had been Daniel saying that he couldn't stop thinking about me._

_6 months later – we were married. It hadn't been a very big ceremony but that was exactly what Daniel and I had wanted. We weren't flash people and we didn't feel the need to be extravagant about what we shared. We went on our honeymoon to Aruba and had the most amazing time. Slowly Daniel took Jeff's place in my heart and I finally looked at my best friend as just my best friend. Daniel knew about me and Jeff and what we had felt for one another – he had never been bothered and as he always told me – he would make me love him. That was a promise that he had kept._

_We had promised to love one another forever; we had claimed that we would never purposefully hurt one another and that we would always be supportive. I had kept all those promises – I loved him with all my heart, I never did anything that I knew would hurt him and I supported every decision that he made; even entering the army._

_Looking back on it – it seemed funny that I had been so scared of him going off to war and getting killed – when I should have been more worried about him going out in our car in our home town. There was some form of lesson in there I was sure of it. My stomach began churning once again and I felt the need to be sick; but I just lay motionless in my bed with the covers over my head. The world held absolutely no interest for me anymore – there was no one out there who held the kind of love and support for me that Daniel had._

"_You're awake," Jeff said from next to me and as I turned my head to look at my best friend; I could see nothing but concern flashing at me._

"_Yep," I nodded sadly._

_In one fell swoop everything that I loved had been snatched away from me and I couldn't understand the purpose of that. I didn't understand why Daniel had been taken away from me._

Had I done something bad to deserve this?

_Was I really a bad person?_

_Question upon question seemed to press down on me so hard that I felt sick. My hands curled around the tiny bump that was mine and Daniel's first baby. My baby was going to grow up without a Father. I was going to have to raise my child alone and in all honesty I didn't know if I was really capable of managing something like that._

"_Did you actually manage to get some sleep?" Jeff asked turning on to his side to face me and as I watched him; I couldn't remember his eyes being so green before._

"_About an hour or 2 if I'm lucky!" I admitted honestly. "I just kept thinking about the funeral and how I am supposed to get through that – I don't know if I have the strength in me to -!"_

"_We're going to be right there sugar," Jeff replied grabbing my hand and holding it close to his heart where I was sure that I could hear the thundering beat of his heart._

_I really didn't know what I would do without my friends – ever since we had been in school; Jeff and I had been best friends. Our connection had grown out of our love for wrestling and from there I was included in the OMEGA organisation that he and his brother eventually started. For years I would travel up and down the coast with them doing shows and wardrobe since they were men – they truly didn't understand the laws of fashion so I was the one in charge of all of that._

_We had Matt and Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Marty Garner – who was now known as the rapping wrestler or Cham-pain and Joey Matthews who was known as Joey Mercury. They were a great bunch of guys who always made me feel welcome – I had Shannon's girlfriend Claire with me, or his wife as she was now and that was how we met Matt's girlfriend – Brittany. In the beginning Britt and Matt had became friends in much the same manner as Jeff and I were; they were closer than anyone could have predicted. When we travelled they were together and I know that Matt helped her get away from her abusive ex._

_Being Randy Orton's little sister – she was feisty and she had all the back up that she needed but when it came to her boyfriend she hadn't been able to tell anyone – except for Matt – what was happening to her. Matt had roped in Jeff, Shannon, Gregory, Marty and myself to head down to Missouri to get her things and get her away from the man. Matt was a good man and he had, had some bad deals when it came to women but it never made him give up and I admired that about him. Instantly he told Britt that she could live with him and they have lived together ever since but it had only been recently that they had gotten together._

_Watching them together had been like watching something special from the beginning – because they had been so close as friends; the only natural progression in their friendship was them getting together as a couple. It was nice to watch them together – as a couple they had no secrets from one another because they were still best friends and they were so comfortable with one another that there was none of the awkwardness that comes from new relationships._

_  
"Surely you have other things to do with your time -!" I began to object only to feel the soft touch of his finger on my lips._

_My entire body caved in and I began crying again – I had thought that I had been completely cried out but no apparently there was still more inside me to come out and the minute that the sob escaped my mouth; I was being pulled against the powerful build of my best friend's frame. My head became buried in his chest as my tears seeped on to his naked chest and the tiny hairs began tickling my face but I was too far gone in my loss that I couldn't laugh like I usually did at how hairy my best friend really was._

"_You know sometimes you can be completely dense," Jeff goaded me._

"_Hey!" I scolded as I slapped his leg, which was about all I could move cos he had my arms trapped in the bear trap of a hug that he had pulled me into. "Cut me some slack – I have just lost my husband!"_

"_I personally think it's the blond hair!"_

_I had definitely shocked a lot of people when I had recently died my hair blond – after years of being darker than dark – it was a refreshing change to be honest. It was a new start for me – since I had just finished all my beautician studies and I had gotten my diploma in hairdressing too. I still managed to wrestle now and again but it wasn't as much as I would have liked – and now that I was pregnant I definitely couldn't be getting in the ring. I didn't want to risk losing this last part of Daniel that I had. _

_  
"Whoa – little tadpole is gonna be a wrestler – I can tell!" Jeff chuckled as the baby kicked at him._

_I knew that he hadn't meant to upset me but my eyes clouded over again and the tears began to tumble from my eyes. Without saying another word, Jeff pulled me flush against him and rested his head on top of my own and remained silent; letting me get it all out._

_I really couldn't have asked for a better friend – he had dropped everything and applied for personal time from his work so that he could be here for me, by my side and help me get through this. As always – he had managed to get under my skin and make me agree to him helping me out. Whenever there was something tragic going on with either one of us; the other would drop everything to be by each other's side. I wouldn't change that part of our friendship for the world; I knew that I could count on my best friend when I couldn't count on anyone else._

_When I had called him – I had been so hysterical that I couldn't even talk to tell him what had happened. Last night he had told me that he had, had this feeling that I needed him and when I had called he had just been about to leave to come over to check that I was indeed ok. Our connection had always been as such – we were connected in ways that even Daniel had been aware of. Every time my husband went on deployment – he had said that he knew that if anything happened to him that I would be taken care of. At first it had hurt me to hear him talking like that because it made me feel like I was being unfaithful to him; but as time went by he had reminded me that it was more than ok because Jeff had been a part of my life long before he had and he never once gave me an ultimatum to chose._

"_Little tadpole is gonna be a lawyer or a doctor I'll have you know," I whispered._

_  
"Wow you've got high expectations of him already!"_

_  
"Who says it's gonna be a boy? -!"_

"Coming from you – it has to be a boy or one hell of a tomboy just like her Mom!" He chuckled placing a light kiss to the top of my head.

_There was no denying what he said – I had always and would always be a tomboy. I hung out with the guys because I felt comfortable and I didn't have to worry about any kind of backstabbing from them – what they thought – came out their mouths whether it offended or not. That was exactly the way I liked it. I much preferred the honest approach to beating around the bush anyway. __What was I doing?_

_I was thinking about myself when my husband was lying on a cold slab in the morgue. I had yet to go and identify the body. That wasn't a prospect that I was looking forward too – it just made it feel way too real. I wasn't ready for that._

_I couldn't admit that my world and life was over – I couldn't admit that he was really gone and that I had to go through the rest of my life alone and I couldn't admit that my child was going to grow up without a Father. It all seemed like something that I couldn't possibly ever get around to admitting. We had made so many plans and now those had been severed because he wasn't here – I couldn't possibly begin to do them alone because one of them included having a soccer teams worth of kids and we wanted to finally build our own home, we wanted to renew our vows and we had wanted to take another short honeymoon._

_I was alone and I wouldn't ever get the chance to do those things – I just had to find a way to get through this and then worry about the rest of my life._

_**Jeff's POV;**_

_I knew that this __was the hardest thing that Drea had faced – she wasn't the type of girl who showed her feelings very often because she really was one of the guys but when she did – she only ever did it in front of people that she trusted and I had always been the one person that she trusted most in the world. And the feeling was very much returned on my part. I would trust this girl with my life if it ever came down to it._

_It was hard to believe that fate had been so cruel and taken her husband away from her – and on their 2 year anniversary too. That had to be some kind of cruel cosmic joke – because there really was no other way to describe it or explain it._

_For the past 2 days she had been lying in this bed refusing to get up – refusing to eat and talk. All she wanted to do was drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and cry. I was patient enough to know that it wasn't something that she could just get over – grief takes many forms and I guessed that this was the way that she was choosing to deal with her own. I could handle that – I had requested enough time off to be here with her and nothing would make me leave her alone._

_I would be lying if I said that it had been easy watching her with Daniel – they had been sickeningly happy when it was supposed to be me that she was with. I didn't much understand why I had wanted to just keep her as a friend, especially when I had seen how loving and affectionate she was with Daniel. It had been a couple of months before she introduced us to him; which had given them plenty of time to get comfortable with one another and it had felt like a slap in the face as I realized that I had made the biggest mistake of my life in telling her that being friends was the best thing for us. For years I had hidden my feelings from her because I had thought for sure that she didn't look at me the way that I looked at her but when we met Brittany; she had mistaken us as being a couple because she said that it was in the way we looked at one another; which had just given me a sliver of hope that maybe she felt the same way._

_Once Brittany had mistaken us as a couple – everyone else seemed to jump on the band wagon; teasing about how we were meant for one another and how perfect together we would be._

_I knew that all of that had embarrassed Drea to the point where she had turned in to this shy creature around me – it wasn't something that I was used to seeing on her. Drea had always been very out going and opinionated about her believes. It was one of the things that I loved most about her. There was no stopping the energy that she had, there was no putting restraints on the woman that she was going to become and her Parent's had learned that the hardest way._

_  
When Drea__ had told them that she wanted to wrestle – they had completely lost their patience with her. They had claimed that they were willing to put up with her tomboy tendencies but when she announced that she wanted to do something that could seriously hurt her – they had tried putting their foot down. Instead of her surrendering to their wishes and demands of what she was going to be; she had called me and asked if my Dad would be willing to put her up. Of course my Dad said yes; because he adored my best friend. I knew that he looked at her as one of the Family and she looked at him as if he were her second Father figure._

"_Jeff?"_

"Yeah baby girl?" Being younger than me, I had always called her baby girl – it was a name that she had hated when we were growing up but one that she loved now.

_"I'm scared,"_

"Of what?" I asked gently pulling back to look in her eyes.

_It wasn't easy to hide the hurt and tears that were beginning to glisten. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be going through right now – all I could do was sit here with her and give her all the support that I could._

_"Of doing this alone – what if I'm not a good Mother? What if I screw up? What if I can never get over his death?"_

"_Hey I don't want to hear that from you Andrea; you are going to be an amazing Mom; you have all the patience in the world; which you need to hang out with us, so a little baby is gonna be a walk in the park for you. And as for screwing up – that is so not gonna happen; you have all of us around to help you out and as far as getting over his death – it will take time but you'll get there I have complete faith in you,"_

"_I never thought that I would be left alone to deal with this – I never thought that I would lose him to something that we all do everyday. I had prepared myself for losing him when he was on deployment but just going out in the car; that hadn't even crossed my mind and now that it's happened; I'm scared that I'm never going to get past it -!"_

_At long last she was talking and it seemed to me that she wanted to say more, so instead of opening my mouth, I gently held her close and began rocking her back and forth supportively._

"_For so long he has been my life and I came to rely on that; when I really shouldn't have. I can't think about getting through a whole day without him. It's like I can't breathe when I think about never seeing him again – it took me a long time to admit that I loved him but when I did; I knew that I did and I was glad for that but now it feels like I wasted too much time trying to make sure that I was sure about what I felt,"_

_In the beginning it had hurt like hell to watch Daniel touching her, kissing her, making her laugh, holding her, dancing with her and generally just supporting her – when deep down it truly felt like it was my job. It had been a job that I had been half doing up until that point anyway. We were always hugging one another, we were always holding hands, we were always one another's escape route if we were chatted up by some undesirable and we had always supported one another unconditionally. I hated Daniel for so long after I had first met him but then as Matt had explained to me – I had been the one who said that me and Drea were better off as just friends. I had absolutely no right to be acting like a petulant little child._

"_I'm never going to wake up in his arms again – I won't feel the comfort that I always felt when I was being held by him. I'm never going to smell that aftershave that he wore again – well I will but it will only be on someone else or on his cloths. I won't ever wake up next to him again – I'll miss waking up warm and safe in the knowledge of him being there. I won't ever get to make love to him again – all I want is one last kiss; I just want to hold him once more – just one last time and I can't – I won't ever be granted that!" She sobbed into my chest._

_Unable to say anything to make her feel better, I just rocked her back and forth. It pained me to hear her talking like this but I knew that she needed to get it out. The day of the accident; I had been pacing my house for hours because I had the strongest feeling or instinct – whatever you wanted to call it – to get to Drea's side. It was almost like I could feel the change in the air, something told me that something was happening to my friend and I needed to get to her side. Just as I had been about to leave the house, my phone had rang. I couldn't make out a word that Drea was saying because she was sobbing too hard and it was almost like she couldn't catch her breath. In a blind panic, I had driven like a lunatic to get to her side. The minute I saw her I knew that it had something to do with Daniel – at first I had been worried that he had just left her but deep down I should have known that he wouldn't even think about doing that._

_Daniel had loved her like his life depended on it – there was absolutely nothing that he wouldn't do for her. All she had to do was smile and ask and he gave in immediately. Once I had accepted that they were going to be together, and I took the time to get to know Daniel; I knew that if I couldn't be the one who was with her – there really was no one better for her than Daniel. It was like looking in a mirror; I could see the same shine in his eyes when she was around, the same glimmer when someone just mentioned her name, I could hear the love in the tone of his voice and I could feel the love that he felt when he did things for her. There was no doubt that he would have been my choice for her. Drea deserved only the best from life and I would fight tooth and nail to ensure that she got that._

"_I-I think that to-today is the-the day that I-I go-go to the morgue and Id-identify the body!" She suddenly said pushing away from me and sitting up; pushing the sheet back._

"_You're sure you're ready for that?"_

_"I'm never gonna be ready Nero but I have to do it – so now is as good a time as any!"_

_There was rarely ever changing her mind when she made it up. Matt said that she was as stubborn as a mule; but I said that she was more stubborn than that. I loved that about her and instantly I was scolding myself once again – she didn't need me thinking about her that way right now. The loss of her husband was still fresh in her mind and here I was thinking about the things that I loved about her._

_What a loser!_

_I just needed to remember that she was in need of a friend and I could be a friend to her. I could be anything that she wanted and I hoped that she knew that. I had no doubt that she would but as I watched her it was clear that there wasn't much else going on up in her head; other than the loss of Daniel._

_I could understand that. I had to understand it because this was going to be an extremely tough time for her. She would need all the support that she could get and I wasn't going to let her down. I had always promised Daniel that I would take care of her if anything happened to him._

**_R/N - This will only be updated once a week until I have it finished :) I hope that you enjoy and want more :D  
Harley  
xoxoxo_**


	2. Chapter 2 Present Day!

**_If you Only Knew._**

**_Chapter 2 – Present Day._**

**_Present Day; Cameron, North Carolina;_**

**_Drea's POV;_**

The past year had been more than difficult for me; I had lost my husband. The minute that he had been taken from me; was the minute that my life was over. I just couldn't concentrate on anything; I couldn't seem to get through the day without crying at least once. Everywhere I turned I was reminded of something about him – little things like standing at the kitchen sink could set me off in to a fit of crying that never seemed to stop. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of his cloths or things – I would go to bed wrapped in them and I was scared to wash them because I was worried that his scent would disappear and I would end up forgetting him. Even now, a year later, I couldn't bring myself to put any of his things in to storage. I knew that it wasn't healthy to have all those reminders all over the house but I just wasn't ready to forget.

A month after I had buried my husband, I had begun experiencing sharp pains in my stomach and then the bleeding started. Jeff refused to let me ignore it and he drove me to the doctor; the sonogram showed that my baby didn't have a heart beat; for a whole hour they tried to find it and I was inconsolable – all I could think was that I was being punished for some reason or another.

Giving birth to my dead daughter had knocked me back into the grief I had felt when I lost my husband. All I could think about was that God had taken the only thing of him that I had left. I hated everything and everyone around me for being happy; my doctor advised me that what I was feeling was perfectly normal.

How could it be normal?

I loved my friends as if they were my Family – I always put their happiness above my own but suddenly I was feeling things that were completely foreign to me. I didn't want to hate them for being happy and I didn't want to resent them for what they had but the more I tried to fight the way I was feeling, the stronger those feelings became. I began distancing myself from them, I wouldn't take their calls and I refused to hang out with them. I knew that it hurt them to watch me retreating in to my own shell but it was better that than end up destroying my friendships with them.

Jeff however, was the one who refused to accept the fact that I wanted to be alone. Every day he would turn up on my doorstep with coffee and muffins; he wouldn't leave my side during the day and he stayed until I fell asleep exhausted from yelling at him that I hated him and I hated that he was getting on with his life when my own life felt like it was grinding to a halt. My best friend took it all – every last word that I spat in his face, he wouldn't say a word, which at the time just made me madder, but I knew now that he was just letting me get it out of my system.

All I wanted to think about was my daughter – Danielle. For hours after I had given birth to her – I wouldn't let her go. I wanted her to stay in my arms, I wanted to tend to her like a Mother and I didn't want to give her to the nurses who would just place her on a mortician's slab. Cold and alone – what if she woke up? I had been so lost in my delusions that the doctor's had gotten it wrong that I had convinced myself that she would wake up at any moment. Being born at 20 weeks; she was still completely undeveloped but in my mind, I couldn't comprehend her being gone. My baby was gone – but she was in my arms; her flesh translucent and almost papery in density.

After holding her for a couple of hours, Jeff convinced me that it was time to let her go. I really couldn't have asked for a better best friend – when he had told me that he was going to be right by my side, it hadn't occurred to me that he meant he was going to be there all the time. It had even gotten to the point that he moved in with me after he had been turning up on my doorstep every day for 2 months.

With the patience of my friends – who were my Family – I finally managed to get through the days. I couldn't have asked them to treat me any better – it was like they understood what I had been going through; they understood the loss that I felt and they gave me the time I needed to work my way through it. Shannon had given me the perfect present – he had taken me to his shop one day about a month after I had lost everything and he had given me a tattoo of a pair of hands with rosary beads hanging from it with a D being held in each hand. This way they were always with me and I would never forget them.

Slowing my car down as I pulled in to the Hardy property because you never could tell whether or not the dogs would be roaming free. I drove the mile long entrance towards Jeff's new home and parked next to his black corvette. Climbing out of the car I was descended upon by Dragon; one of Shannon and Claire's dogs, Nero and Lucas; Britt and Matt's dogs, and Jeff's new puppy; Lizzie. It was always the same when I came over to their homes – whether it be Jeff, Matt and Britt's or Shannon and Claire's – I could hardly move because the dogs wouldn't give me a moment's peace. In all honesty – I didn't really mind all that much; I was a huge dog person and found them more entertaining than most humans.

After I had fussed over them all for a few moments, I walked towards the newly built home – I had to admit that it looked gorgeous but I knew that the inside wasn't finished because Jeff wanted it to be decorated in his own unique tastes.

"_Honey I'm home!" _I called out letting myself in the front door.

"_In the kitchen hunny bunny!" _Jeff chuckled back.

Ever since I had lost Daniel – I had leant so much on Jeff that my feelings had returned so quickly that I was sure that I should have had some form of whiplash. I had come to realize that they had never truly been gone; I had just learned how to bury them. I didn't want to jump straight in to anything but if losing my husband had taught me anything it was; you couldn't take anything in this life for granted because it wasn't a guarantee that it would be around forever.

Even if the dogs hadn't tipped me off I would have known that everyone was here because the sound of laughter filtered through the house and I could hardly remember what Jeff's last home looked like before he had lost it to the fire. It was time to make new memories here and it was going to be a lifetime of memories that all of us would cherish more than anything.

As a group of friends – we shared everything with one another. There were no secrets between us and I was grateful for that. After my Parent's had pretty much abandoned me; I had learned that friends really were the Family that you picked for yourself. I was lucky at the Family I had picked – they were always there for me, they always let me know that I didn't need my own Family and all that really mattered was what I thought and what I wanted and what I felt.

Finally making it to the kitchen which was situated at the very back of the house, I was instantly aware of one thing – Jeff had a woman hanging off his arm. A woman who seemed to be clinging to him as if she were marking her territory. A woman who looked like she had walked straight out of a salon. A woman who had Jeff gazing adoringly at her. Taking a huge gulp of air, I plastered the smile to my face and moved further in to the room.

Why did it feel like I had just been slapped in the face?

Why did I feel like I had been replaced?

My stomach churned into tight knots and it took all my patience and self control not to slap the woman who was whispering in my best friend's ear and making him smile before letting her go and move over to me.

"You're finally here!" He announced as he claimed me in to a tight, warm hug.

"No I'm just a figment of your imag-I-nation!" I giggled.

"Smart ass!" He chuckled. "How you feeling today?"

"I'm good big bear – I haven't had much of a -!"

My reply was interrupted by a less than subtle cough. Everyone turned towards the stranger and I saw Britt and Claire scowl at her. Thank the Lord that I wasn't the only one who seemed to have taken an instant dislike to this woman – although my friend's reasons for disliking her were bound to be different to my own.

"Drea this is my girlfriend, Phoebe!" Jeff announced smiling as he reached his hand out to her.

Girlfriend?

Since when did he have a girlfriend?

Had I really been so self involved that I hadn't even noticed that he had been living his life?

"Phoebe this is Andrea; my best friend!" Jeff informed the woman by his side and the minute my eyes landed on her I knew who she was.

Phoebe Jackson had been in the year below me in school – at first she tried to just get in good with my group of friends; the ones that I hung out with in school but when that hadn't worked – she started imitating me. I would get to school and find her wearing the same outfit I had been wearing the previous day, she died her hair the same colour as mine and she started following the music that I liked. I had felt like I was being suffocated – I had used to take great pleasure in the fact that I liked all the things I did through my own choices but this thing had come along and just shit all over that. I had hated her with a passion all through school and then when I had finally left I had thought for sure that would be the last time I saw her.

What the hell was Jeff thinking?

'_Stop it! Drea; you have no right to make his choices for him and he is a free agent; he can date whoever he wants.'_ I scolded myself.

I wasn't my best friend's keeper; he had always had a mind of his own and that was why I liked him so much; we were much the same in that respect. What we wanted or thought was never influenced by other people. But clearly this bimbette was different and that had me questioning what he saw in her.

"Hi Andrea!" Phoebe said extending her hand and as I looked around the room, I could see that my other friends were looking anywhere but at this spectacle of a situation.

"Hey," I said giving her my best fake smile as I shook her hand then turned towards my friends. "Coffee guys?" I asked.

Everyone nodded their agreement and I made myself busy in making the drinks for everyone. Whenever I felt uncomfortable I would make myself busy so that I didn't have to deal with the situation until I felt ready too. So with my head buried in the task at hand, I listened absent mindedly to what they were discussing.

So much for my friends thinking that Jeff and I belonged together. It was something that they had always said; even before I had met Daniel they had been convinced that we were going to get together but then Jeff and I had talked about just remaining friends because we didn't want to spoil our friendship and clearly now that I was meeting this woman; I could tell that he was still thinking that. I would just have to find a way to get over it and get on with my life alone.

Maybe I was just destined to be alone!

Maybe I was being punished because I had still felt all these feelings for Jeff when I had been married to Daniel.

God I missed my husband now more than ever. I had never felt so completely alone in my life.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

For months I had been by Drea's side, I had supported her as much as I possibly could. I had done everything in my power to make sure that she knew I loved her and that I would do anything for her. I had harboured all these feelings but nothing seemed to get through to her that I wanted more from her. Of course, then I felt bad for wanting her to see that I was in love with her when she had just lost her whole life.

I had been more than willing to be by her side and help her raise this baby as my own but she hadn't seen that. All the times that I said I was going to help; she assumed that I just meant that I was going to be there as her friend and help her out on a part time basis. I knew that I was asking a lot of her when I wished that she would see that what I had said about us remaining friends had been a mistake but deep down I resented her for not seeing it. Then of course, I would fight with myself for being so selfish. My best friend had just lost her husband and the baby that she had made with her husband and all I could think about was that she would maybe finally see that I wanted her as a part of my life on more than a friendship basis.

I had met Phoebe at a show in Charlotte – it had been a night that Drea had been visiting Daniel's Parent's. It had been a ritual that she had slipped in to once she lost him. As far as she were concerned; they were her Parent's and they had been more than grateful that she had kept in touch with them. After not having any contact with her own Parent's for so long; she had longed for a Mother and Father figure in her life; Daniel's Parent's had given her that.

What did it say about me that I was more concerned about how Drea was doing with this introduction than I was about Phoebe dealing with it?

Maybe I was making a mistake in getting involved when I knew that it was Drea I wanted – but I was a male, I needed someone to help me get over what I was feeling and it wasn't like Drea hadn't done the exact same thing with Daniel. God I was in way over my head. I didn't even know what I was thinking anymore.

"So we're going out tonight Drea – do you want to come?" Matt asked moving over to where Drea was busying herself with making everyone coffee.

"Mmmm; I don't know!" She replied as if she weren't really paying any attention to him.

When I had first met Phoebe; I had been attracted to the fact that she had something about her that reminded me of Drea. But the more that I got to know her, I knew that she wasn't really at all like my best friend but by then I was too attracted to the fact that she looked exactly like the woman who had haunted my dreams for pretty much my whole life.

"Awe come on Chicka – it's not the same without you!" Shannon announced moving over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

I watched as he whispered something in to Drea's ear and she started giggling before reaching up and kissing his cheek.

"Hey! That's my man – you're making moves on!" Claire giggled dramatically.

"I'm sorry babe – but look at those cute ickle dimples; how can anyone resist those?" Drea laughed pinching Shannon's cheek playfully.

It was good to see that Drea was getting back to normal now though – after she had lost everything I had feared that she would never be able to recover from that but she seemed to be doing well as she slipped back in to the normal way that she was around us. It was a welcome sight to see and as I watched the 3 of them laughing; I knew that no matter what I did; I would never be able to escape the feelings I had for my best friend.

I could pretend that I didn't feel anything.

I could pretend that I had gotten past what I felt.

I could bury what I felt so far down that it would fester quickly.

All those thoughts didn't seem to hold much credence for me – what would lying accomplish?

All I could really do was keep moving forward with Phoebe and hope that somehow my feelings for her would become real and more than what I felt for Drea. Being alone just wasn't an option anymore. Being around Drea with no form of release had been driving me to distraction and I had gotten to the point where my dreams were turning erotic and every time I looked at my best friend I would get flashes of what she had done to me in my dreams. In essence it had become a living breathing form of torture that I just couldn't control anymore.

I didn't want to be that way with her. I wanted us to just be the way we had always been. I didn't want to ruin our friendship by admitting something that I didn't think she was ready to hear. For all I knew; she had gotten over what she felt for me.

"Maybe we could all go for something to eat before going out that way I can get to know Andrea a little better," Phoebe announced moving over to my best friend and wrapping her arm around Drea's shoulders.

I wanted to tell her to be careful because Drea wasn't the type of girl who was touchy feely with people that she rarely knew but somehow Phoebe had the charm to get under people's skin and remain there. It was exactly how she had captured me.

When we had met in that bar in Charlotte; she had appeared not to have a clue who I was and that was an attractive quality to me. I had enjoyed spending time with her that night and by the end of business we were already making plans to meet up nearer home. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't catch the way Drea tensed and shot a wounding glare in my direction.

"Actually we have some stuff that we have to take care of sorry!" Claire announced looking to Shannon who nodded his head eagerly.

I knew that they had been trying for a baby for a while – being together for so long had led to them talking about starting a Family. I was happy for them; so long as they were happy then I was too. I was as protective over my friends as Drea was and to hear that Shannon and Claire were planning on starting a Family with one another; I couldn't have been more convinced on how suited they were for one another.

"Matt? Brittany?" Phoebe asked turning to them.

"Sorry – we uhm – we have some stuff to sort out for The Hardy Show," Matt quickly replied.

I hadn't expected them to jump on the Phoebe band wagon when they were convinced that I was meant to be with Drea; but I hadn't expected them to be so rude about it. They had to learn that it was never going to happen between me and my best friend. We were friends and obviously that was all that we were destined to be. If I had accepted it then surely they could.

"Oh ok! Andrea?"

"Drea!" My best friend corrected her a little too sharply.

"Sorry, Drea would you like to join us for something to eat?" Phoebe asked once again her face falling when she realized that she was clearly being blown off.

"I'm sorry but I have some things that I need to take care of,"

I had known that Drea wouldn't have been up for it because tonight was always the night that she went up to Daniel's graveside and had her weekly chat with him. It was a ritual that she had settled into pretty much from the moment that he had been buried. And I couldn't expect her to drop that just because I had a new girlfriend in my life; but I thought for sure that my other friends and Family would have found a way to be there tonight. It was unfair that they were judging Phoebe purely on the basis that she wasn't Drea.

"Oh ok -!" Phoebe replied letting her face show the disappointment that she felt.

"It's ok baby -!" I started moving close to her and pulling her in to my arms. "That just means that we can have a romantic meal alone,"

If my friends and Family were going to make this difficult then I didn't care if they wanted to come out or not. I had picked Phoebe to spend my time with and they needed to respect that; they needed to make an effort to be nice to her and they needed to realize that this childish behaviour wasn't going to get them very far.

"Ok!" It wasn't hard to hear the disappointment in her voice and I vowed in that moment to do what I had to, to make her feel better.

"We're sorry that we're busy Phoebe – but we will see you later at City Limit's," Drea offered giving her a smile that didn't exactly ring true. It was just one of those smiles that didn't quite reach her eyes like it normally did.

Drea had a few different smiles – the genuine smile that reached her eyes and made them sparkle so brightly that I was always left stunned. There was the fake smile that never reached her eyes and looked like it was forced. There was the patronizing smile that always managed to make me shiver on in the inside; because she was always the one who managed to figure people out before anyone else could even form an opinion. Lastly there was the snide smile – which was the one on her face right now; it always said that I don't mean a single thing that I am saying to you.

Clearly Phoebe didn't know the difference in her smile; so she was oblivious but I knew that Drea was being polite because she felt like it was what she was meant to do for me. I wanted my best friend to like Phoebe for her not because she felt like it was what was being asked of her.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the reviews so far - it means much more than I can say. I am almost finished writing this so I hope that you will continue to enjoy it. It will still only be one chapter a week until I have finished it :) I love you guys to bits and if you want more; then please just me know :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	3. Chapter 3 The Morning After

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 3__ – The Morning After._**

_**The Next Morning;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

It had felt like complete torture last night – watching Phoebe all over Jeff; made my stomach turn with disgust. Jeff wasn't the type of guy who liked to show public declarations of affection. That had never been his deal but last night – I had looked at him and it felt like I didn't even know him. Jeff and I were so alike that watching him made me want to slap him up side the head and tell him to stop acting like someone that he wasn't. If Phoebe didn't like it then she could go and crawl back under the rock that she came from.

Spending the night with her hadn't improved my opinion on her – I still thought that she was needy and apparently clingy. I remembered that she had ended up dating one of my ex's in high school and he had told me that she was like a poor knock off of me. It had occurred to me that she was just lonely but I couldn't be making friends with everyone that I felt sorry for besides in my mind she wasn't the type of girl that I hung out with. I much preferred my friends to have their own style.

Claire and I both enjoyed talking about tattoos and that was what bonded us together as friends but she was definitely her own woman.

Brittany and I both enjoyed talking about and watching Supernatural, which bonded us together and just like Claire, Britt had her own style.

Jeff and I had the most in common; we enjoyed motor-crossing and working outside, we enjoyed art and writing, we enjoyed getting tattoos and we both had a love of dogs amongst other things. As for me and Shannon – like Claire we had the tattooing to talk about, and we both enjoyed some of the same music. Matt and I were both very spiritual people and could talk for hours about Faith and spirituality. These people were my life, my Family and my closest confidants and I wouldn't change them for the world.

I guess that was why I couldn't understand why Jeff felt the need to spend his time with Phoebe. I watched them for a while last night – before I had lost the will to live – and I couldn't for the life of me understand what he was doing. I tried to imagine what she was giving him – apart from sex – and nothing came to me.

Once I had lost the will to live; I had thrown myself in to having fun. I had danced on my own, I had flirted with any man that took my fancy and I knocked back drink after drink, which of course meant that I had a pounding hang-over this morning when I woke up. I had ended up making out with a guy named Peter who apparently for some weird reason reminded me of my first ever boyfriend; William. Thankfully I hadn't given out my address or number so I wouldn't have to worry about someone looking for more than what we had last night. Although thinking about it – maybe a relationship was what I needed.

Was I ready?

Did I want to open up to anyone other than Jeff?

I didn't really know for sure. All I knew was that now Jeff had Phoebe; he wouldn't have as much time for me as he usually did.

Was that what I was getting so bent out of shape for?

Did I suddenly want Jeff because he had someone?

I was more than certain that it wasn't that – not when we had been so wrapped up in each other for as long as either of us could actually remember. I couldn't believe that I was being reduced to this and it was times like this that I was reminded of how much I had lost when Daniel died and Danielle had been taken from me. With my husband I had never had time to be alone; I didn't have to worry about seeing Jeff with other women. Once he was gone; I still had his baby inside me – I had that to look forward to; I had truly believed that I had been given a piece of my husband back.

Maybe my problem was that I had relied on Jeff for too long and for too much – now that he was going to have to split his time with me; I would have to be alone a lot more and I just didn't know if I was really ready for that. I guess in many ways I had been using my best friend as an emotional crutch.

My phone started to ring and I raced out to the front room to catch it before it went to answer machine.

"Speak!" I said falling on to the sofa.

"Morning Miss Drea!" Matt's voice chirped down the line.

"Well morning Mr Mattitude, what's up?" I asked reaching for my cigarettes.

"Just calling to check that you are ok and not too hung-over -!" He chuckled.

"Mmmm my head is killing me – my shower helped but now the effects are wearing off,"

"Ok well Britt is on her way over with Claire – they said something about stopping off for pancakes on the way,"

"Great thanks Matty," I replied inhaling deep on my cigarette.

The front room hadn't been changed since I had lost Daniel – I had wanted to keep everything as it had been when he died because the slightest sign of change scared me – I worried that I would somehow end up forgetting him and all that he had meant to me. It didn't matter that I had still battled with my feelings for my best friend – just because of that; it didn't mean that I hadn't loved my husband.

"Not a problemo – they said something about a bitch-fest!" He chuckled.

Unlike most men – the guys were smart enough to know that coming around us when we were having a bitch-fest meant that they were in serious danger of getting in our bad books if they so much as uttered a tiny disagreement with what we said.

"Great; that's just what I need -!"

"Everything ok darlin'?" Matt asked his voice turning soft and concerned.

"Yeah it'll be fine once my girls are here," I replied just as the doorbell rang. "Hang on a second big man,"

"K sugar," He replied.

Getting up from the sofa, I made my way to the front door and pulled it open – there was no one there and there was no sign of a car anywhere. I felt slightly disappointed because I had thought that it was Britt and Claire already but nope; there was no sign of anyone. Turning towards the house and was about to close the door which made me look down to the porch to find a bunch of roses lying by the steps.

Bending down, I picked up the presentation that had been left for me apparently. Maybe Jeff had sent them to say sorry for practically ignoring me all night. Opening the envelope; I pulled out the card and read the message;

_Andrea,_

_I had a great time with you last night; thank you. I hope that we can do it again._

_Love P xoxox_

How did Peter know where I lived?

Had he followed me home?

Was he hiding somewhere now?

Was he watching me?

Throwing the flowers in to the trash can on the porch before letting myself back into the house and locking the door. Moving to the kitchen; I made sure that the French doors were locked and the blinds were closed. My stomach was flipping wildly in my gut and my knees were knocking together. I suddenly didn't feel like I was safe in my own home.

"_Drea? Drea?" _Matt's voice was all I could hear on the other end of the phone when I walked back in to the front room.

"Sorry Matt – I'm here now!" I said picking up the phone and continuing to pace while my entire body felt like it was on edge.

"What's wrong?"

Moving to the front window, I peeked out from behind the blinds; looking in every direction that was possible to view and my heart thundered when I couldn't see anyone. Maybe they were watching me now and had managed to hide themselves so well that I just couldn't see them.

What if I never saw them?

What if I was attacked and never saw it coming?

Sure I could look after myself but I had never been very good with surprise attacks. God I wished that Daniel was still here or at least Jeff but I couldn't talk to him now; not when he was with that thing. I would not have her in my house; I didn't care who she was or who she was dating. I never adjusted my thoughts – because my judgments were usually right on. I had never had to worry about changing my opinions on things because Jeff and I usually came to the very same conclusion.

Unfortunately clearly this wasn't the case when it came to his new choice in partner. I just had to find a way to get over this new fear and deal with it – maybe I should get a dog. A security guard dog – or maybe even an ex police dog, which I knew were sometimes rehomed when they couldn't work anymore for whatever reason.

Would that make me feel safer?

Would I feel comfortable in my own home?

Was I maybe over-reacting to this?

Maybe I was just on edge anyway because of who Jeff was dating. I had to stop thinking that it would change our friendship because surely it wouldn't. Jeff wasn't the type of guy who ditched his friends for a piece of ass. Nodding to myself, I convinced myself that Phoebe would be a passing fling. There was no way that she could fool him enough to make him fall in love with her.

_**Matt's POV;**_

It had been clear to me since Jeff had introduced us to Phoebe that Andrea wasn't really all that happy about it. Then of course; Brittany had mentioned something alone the lines of seeing the way that Phoebe was watching Drea last night. I had to admit that my girl was right; there definitely was something off about my brother's new girlfriend and I couldn't even put my finger on what it was.

I knew that Brittany and Claire had gone over there to have a good old bitching about the newcomer in our midst. Separately the girls were fine but together they could be very intimidating especially about new people coming in to the fold.

"–It's nothing Mattitude!" Drea stated down the line.

"Come on now chicken I can totally tell when you're lying to your big bro, so spill it!"

Having known Drea for so long and having lived with her for a while when we were younger and still living with our Dad; I had gotten to know Andrea really well – she was super sweet, highly protective of the people that she loved and way too good at telling when Jeff was lying. That hadn't meant that I didn't like her though – in fact we bonded quite early on when I found her praying one night and we gotten on to the topic of spirituality and from there it was easy to bond with her.

I listened as she explained the flowers that had been left on her porch this morning and the note that had been attached to them. Clearly she believed that it was the guy she had spent the night sucking face with and that bothered not only me but her too. I knew that Drea didn't hand out her number or address to just anyone and if she had wanted to see him again; she would have made plans to meet up at the bar again. So that meant that the guy must have followed her home last night – that didn't sit right with me; especially now that she was living alone.

When she had Daniel there was no need to worry about her being alone because it rarely happened and when it did; we would have her stay with one of us. Usually it was Jeff that she opted to stay with but I really didn't think that, that would be a good idea at the moment.

"Drea I don't like the sound of this let me come over?" I said.

"No it's cool Matty; I can look after myself, besides my girls will be here soon," She replied. However, it seemed to me that she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince me, but I didn't say anything.

"Alright honey – but if you need me just call me back yes?"

"I will big bear – talk to you later,"

The minute that I hung up, I called Jeff and told him to get his ass over to mine as soon as possible. I didn't care if I was interrupting anything and when he heard that it was about Drea; I was sure that he wouldn't care either. Jeff and Drea had been best friends for years and although I didn't quite understand the dynamics of their relationship I knew that he would drop everything to be with her.

For years; we had been trying to convince both Jeff and Andrea that they were meant to be together but it seemed to me that there was no getting through to them. Jeff said that he didn't want to ruin their friendship and Drea said that she didn't want to lose what they shared now. Neither of them was willing to accept that maybe they were meant for one another and that getting together romantically would only strengthen their bond to one another.

Finally Jeff arrived and wondered in to the kitchen looking completely sure of himself and relaxed for the first time in God knew how long. I knew that it was more to do with the fact that he had made the decision to take some time off from work. It was definitely what he needed because for the moment he was burnt out from working non stop since he went back after his last suspension.

"Dude did you even notice Drea last night?" I asked without even greeting him hello.

This was a desperate situation; one that needed to be addressed as quickly as possible. Drea could definitely be her own worst enemy at times. If she thought that she was right – there was no stopping her and there was no way that anyone could get through to her – not even Jeff.

"What?"

"I said did you even notice Drea last night?"

"_I heard you – and once again how stupid am I for actually thinking that you might have called me over here to apologize for the way y'all treated Phoebe yesterday,"_

"_Whoa hang on a damn minute there – I don't know why you are giving me this attitude; but you know damn well that new people aren't just accepted by the girls – they have to work to earn acceptance. Why did you actually think that it would be different this time?" _I demanded angrily as I poured myself a mug of coffee and turned back to stare at my brother.

"_Why? 'Cos I thought that y'all might have seen that this girl make__s me happy – you know after spending so long worrying about my feelings for Drea. I won't apologize for meeting someone who might take my mind off the fact that I can't have the woman that I want! But no you guys instantly jump to Drea's defence; where the fuck was this support for me when she married Daniel?"_

I should have known that Jeff would have been upset about the fact that we hadn't welcomed Phoebe with open arms. It was a hard adjustment to make and he knew full well that we had given Drea a hard time when she first started dating Daniel – mainly because none of us could understand why she and Jeff couldn't just get their acts together and give in to the attraction between them.

"_You know damn well fine that we had a go at Drea for her relationship with Daniel when she first brought him around. So you can get off your damn high horse right now -!"_

"_You know what if you guys want to act as if Phoebe is some –!"_

"_Stop feeling so sorry for your damn self; we have other things to think about other than you and your piece of fluff -!"_

"Oh yeah like what?"

"_Drea got flowers this morning -!"_

"Good for her – it's not surprising considering she went home with that guy whose face she was sucking on for the majority of the night -!"

So he had been watching her – that was something that I had tried witnessing last night but he had obviously done a good job of making it look like he wasn't interested in what his best friend was doing. And that was the point that I got pissed off – he stands there pretending to be mad at us, when he should have been watching his new girlfriend's every move but clearly he hadn't been able to even do that, which told me that he wasn't as into her as he was trying to make out at this moment.

"_You know sometimes you are a complete fucking moron – you know better than anyone that Drea doesn't take a guy home or go home with a guy who she has just met! If you weren't so blind sided about the way things are happening with your bit of stuff then you would fucking well remember that!"_

"_Why the hell are you so concerned about Drea all of a sudden?"_

"Because she was really freaked out by getting those flowers this morning!"

Slamming my mug down on the counter as Jeff and I came nose to nose – usually this type of confrontation came on the WWE when they tried putting us up against one another but clearly this wasn't something that was staged or pre-written. All I knew was that this girl had really gotten under his skin because he was still standing here; when normally he would have been out the door before I had even managed to get half the sentence out.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked trying to remain calm.

"_My problem? Let's see my problem is that I have been sat by Drea's side since her husband died and all the while I am dying to tell her how I feel but because of her loss I'm not sure when the right fucking time is – so I bottle it every time; well I can't do it anymore, I need to move on with my life when it's clear that Drea doesn't even look at me that way anymore!"_

"_You know what – you are a selfish son of a bitch sometimes – Drea is your best friend and you don't treat your best friend that way Jeff; you don't dump her just when something better comes your way! I hope that you'll be really happy with your new girlfriend!" _I spat at him angrily before stomping out of the kitchen.

A few minutes later; the front door slammed behind him as he stalked off with his tail between his legs but I wasn't running after him. I didn't take back anything that I said because I had been completely honest with him. After all Jeff and Drea had been through together as friends – I could hardly believe that my own flesh and blood would treat her that way. They had been through everything together – their connection was more than anyone could have predicted it would be.

I couldn't help but pace until I was calling Shannon and asking him to come around since I knew that he was at a loose end; with Claire and Brittany being with Drea – it was likely to be an all day thing with them.

I definitely needed someone to talk too about this thing with Drea – it wasn't like I didn't think that she could look after herself because I knew better than anyone that she was a tough little cookie; she had, had to be hanging out with us guys. Drea had learned pretty quickly how to hold her own around us and that was what had made her one of the lads.

I hated to think of what would happen if this rift between Jeff and Drea continued. I didn't want to have to take sides but if Phoebe was hanging around then I couldn't see my side being with Jeff.

**R/N - Well the news is out - I am refusing to pass judgment until I hear Jeff's side of the story!!! And that is all I am saying on the matter other than; I will support him no matter what happens or what he did or didn't do.**

**I hope that you are all still enjoying this and want more - if you do, just let me know. I am just finishing up chapter 36 now :D I love you all to bits for supporting me and being patient with me until I found my groove again, which I have to admit has come back full force :D I love you all to bits. The next chapter if you want will be posted next Wednesday :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	4. Chapter 4 BitchFest!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 4__ – Bitch-fest!_**

_**Later that morning;**_

_**Brittany's POV;**_

Drea hadn't had an easy year – first she lost her husband and then she lost their first child. I couldn't even begin to imagine how she was still functioning after all of that. If I lost Matt I didn't know how I would react or cope. My man was everything to me – he had been there through thick and thin and there was nothing that I wouldn't do for him. At first my big brother Randy had been completely against Matt and I being together. The funny thing about my brother was that sometimes he wasn't all that different to his television persona; if things didn't go his way; he would stomp his feet like a petulant little kid, thinking that if he intimidated enough people then he would get his own way.

However, Matt was just as stubborn as I was – there was no way that Randy was going to intimidate us into splitting up and now 4 years later; Randy was finally ok with us being together. I was glad about that because I hated fighting with my brother – we had been close growing up and that was something that I was proud of and relied on.

Matt and I had built a nice home together and I wouldn't change that for the world; I still loved him as much as I ever had. Our relationship was one that I definitely cherished; Matt allowed me to be who I was, he never criticized me and he always had my back no matter what. I hadn't ever been in a relationship like that before but that never once got in the way of our relationship – my lack of experience in relationships had only served to make this one better; Matt had taught me so much and I would place my life in his hands if the moment ever required it.

I had known that yesterday was going to be hard for Drea – she had learned to lean on Jeff completely after her husband died. I think that she had gotten so used to having him around that the introduction of him having a life outside of what they shared had taken her by surprise and that had been more than obvious by the look on her face when Phoebe had been introduced to her. I wasn't hard to understand why she had been so put off; Phoebe hadn't exactly been as welcoming as she could have been. Sure she had tried but there was something off with her; something that I couldn't put my finger on. It was something on her face when Jeff introduced her – something in the way that she looked at Drea; there was an underlying emotion there that just didn't ring true with me or Claire.

"I don't think its going to last!" Claire announced as the 3 of us sat out on the back decking of our friends home.

"What makes you think that?" Drea asked.

When we arrived she had told us about the flowers that she had received this morning and how she assumed that it had been the man that she had met last night. Naturally that scared her because she hadn't given the guy her address or number; it had purely been a one night deal for her. We could understand; she needed someone to help her feel something other than feeling like her best friend had completely abandoned her. Jeff definitely could have picked a better time to introduce us to Phoebe. It wasn't like he didn't know how much Drea was still struggling.

"I don't know – but there's definitely something off about her -!"

"Yeah and I can tell you what!" Drea mumbled as she lit another cigarette.

When I first started dating Matt – I wasn't foolish enough to believe that Drea and Claire hadn't sat around discussing me. It was only natural that they would talk about me – I was the new comer to the group and with a group that were as close as we were; new members had to prove that they weren't a passing fling and that they cared deeply about the person they were getting involved with.

Daniel had been put through the same treatment, I had been put through it, Kimo and Yuk and Monster had all been put through it. It was just the way it was – end of.

"You can?" I asked. Slowly Drea nodded her head while she looked out over the yard of her home. "Then please do enlighten us!"

"Phoebe was in the year below me at school and since I didn't actually hang out with the guys in school; they don't remember her. Anyway she would follow me around, she would turn up at school wearing the exact same outfit that I had been wearing the day before, she died her hair to match mine and she tried getting in good with my friends,"

Well that definitely explained what I had been feeling about her – I had felt like there was something really off with her. I just hoped that this wasn't about to start up again. Drea didn't need it right now and Jeff deserved someone better than that.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"Hell no – my friends saw her for the phoney that she was," Drea admitted.

The thing with Drea was that she respected people who did their own thing, who found their own style and who didn't feel the need to get acceptance from everyone that they met. Phoebe's mistake at trying to be friendly with her had been that she had thought that copying her would be the ultimate compliment and usually it would have been but Drea wasn't anything like everyone else.

"Well that's a good thing then – we know now what to look for!"

"I doubt that she would be pathetic and stupid enough to start that up again!" Drea replied staring off in to space.

"I wouldn't be so sure – Britt and I caught the way that she was looking at you yesterday. There was just something off with her," Claire admitted.

I had been super glad when I hadn't been the only one to see that Phoebe had been watching Drea with more than a healthy interest. I had mentioned it the minute that we left Jeff's house yesterday. Of course the guys hadn't noticed anything but we couldn't hold that against them; they had a disadvantage of being male.

Claire had instantly agreed with me that there was something wrong with Phoebe and we agreed that we would spend the night watching her to make sure that we hadn't been wrong. The last thing we wanted to do was cause a scene over something that we didn't have all the facts on.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly but there was something about her that just didn't ring true. I was watching her and she seemed more intent on paying you attention than she did paying Jeff attention. It was kind of creepy actually," Claire expressed.

I couldn't agree with Claire more – watching Phoebe last night had been more than creepy. I could see the way she would position Jeff so that she could watch Drea, but Jeff hadn't noticed because he had spent the majority of his time watching Drea himself. It had been ridiculous; everyone could see that he was trying to put on a show of being over his feelings for his best friend – but as his closest friends; we could see the real Jeff hiding right underneath the surface.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" Drea asked and we nodded. "What is he doing with her honestly? I mean sure she's a pretty girl but come on; is he really interested in that carbon copy Barbie doll?"

"In all honesty I get the feeling that maybe – he's just trying to get over you," I admitted honestly.

None of us understood why the 2 of them felt the need to remain friends when it was clear that they were destined to be together. Their friendship was strong, their connection solid and their love for one another was definitely something that neither of them could deny. We had all sat back and watched the fact that they thought that they had to just remain friends for fear of ruining that friendship – which in my opinion was the stupidest thing that I had ever heard.

I had never met a couple more suited to one another – I knew that if they were to get together; that would be it for both of them. It was the kind of connection that could only be strengthened by them getting together in a romantic sense.

"Oh please don't start this again!" Drea complained placing her head in her hands and sighing.

Clearly she knew that we were right otherwise she wouldn't be getting so bent out of shape at just the mere mention of it. I knew that it was hard because in a way she felt like she was betraying Daniel and she thought that it was too soon to be getting involved with another person. What she should be able to realize was that Daniel would have wanted her to be happy – he had often joked that if Drea was ever going to leave him it would be for Jeff; it hadn't been in a cruel way; he just knew that he always came second best and in my opinion that was what was making Drea so stubborn on admitting how she felt for Jeff.

It hadn't been that I hadn't liked Daniel because the man was a saint and he was patient and he never once asked Drea to change who she was, he never demanded that she put him first instead of always putting Jeff first and that was why he had been accepted in to the group. We had all loved him and felt the sense of emptiness when he died but he wouldn't have wanted Drea just sitting around thinking about all the things that she was sitting around pondering on. Daniel would have wanted her to get on with her life – he would have wanted her to go out there and do all the things that they had planned to do as man and wife. In fact I had the strongest suspicion that he would have wanted her to finally let Jeff know how she felt and to get it together.

I could just picture him sitting up there on a cloud and exasperating at this stupid games Jeff and Drea were still playing.

It wasn't hard to see that they were meant to be together but for whatever retarded reason they were intent on just remaining friends. It drove me crazy to watch them watching one another secretly and the way they refused to give in. Someone needed to just bang their heads together.

_**Claire's POV;**_

We were used to doing this every time someone knew came in to the group; we weren't exactly being bitchy – we were just a tight knit group that new people had to be accepted by all of us and usually we were happy with each other's choices. This time seemed like it was going to be different – Jeff had picked someone who wasn't welcome; least of all by Drea. I couldn't really blame her for her attitude though; being an individual she didn't take kindly to people who tried to be something they weren't.

My only concern was how this was going to affect the group – if Drea couldn't accept Phoebe then Britt and I were going to take her side. Matt and Shannon would most probably side with Jeff – so it would cause a tear in the Family. I didn't want that. I liked the way we were with one another.

"She's right though sweetie," I said referring to what Britt had said to her about Jeff.

For so long they had been in love with one another and then Drea had met Daniel. When Daniel died; we all thought for sure that she and Jeff were going to get their acts together. I thought for sure that Jeff would finally lay it on the line; he was there with her pretty much all the time; especially when he was home, when he was on the road he would call her all the time, he listened when she wanted to talk, he did her shopping when she was having a bad day and he nursed her through all the stuff with her baby.

"I can't -!"

"What? Think about it?" I asked as Britt headed inside to refill our mugs of coffee.

"If I allow myself to think that I might get a second chance at love – and it doesn't happen, I don't think I could get through that kind of loss a second time,"

After watching her when Daniel died – I knew that it had been tough on her. I knew that she loved Daniel as much as she possibly could considering the way she felt about Jeff and then to lose that man; I couldn't even begin to imagine how that felt.

Just the thought of losing Shannon made my heart stop suddenly in my chest; I truly didn't know if I could get through that. We had been together for so long now that just the mere thought of him not being by my side was enough to send me in to some form of panic attack. Shannon wasn't just my husband; he was my best friend, he was my confidant and he was my lover; I was completely aware of how lucky I was. Before I met him, I had thought that I was destined to go through life without experiencing real love or affection.

I knew that I didn't have to worry when he went out of town; I knew that there was nothing that could ruin the connection that we had built with one another. Shannon loved me, and he made no attempt to hide it either. Sometimes he got teased about the way he was with me but it never stopped him; he just claimed that those people were jealous because they didn't have the kind of love that we had.

"- you know I don't think that it would happen that way!" Brittany stated as she moved back on to the decking with the refilled mugs.

"No? Didn't you see how happy he looked with that chameleon that he introduced us too yesterday?"

"That's just a passing fling!" I said and smiled when Britt nodded her head in agreement with me.

Drea turned silent as she stared out over the yard, her eyes taking on a far away look and I wondered if she were thinking about Daniel. Even though he had been her second choice; he had loved her without question or reservation. The man had been some sort of saint; he had understood the friendship that his wife had with her best friend and he knew that they had feelings for one another but he was safe enough in his marriage to know that he didn't have anything to worry about.

Just because Drea had feelings for someone else – she would never have acted on it when she had taken vows and Daniel knew that. There was no way that any of us could fault him for the way he acted around her; the man had been besotted and he had been willing to take whatever she had to offer. Not many men could live like that. It was definitely one of the reasons that he had come to mean a lot to all of us.

"Do you think this is how he felt when I got together with Dan?" Drea asked.

"I think that it's possible that he struggled with it,"

There really was no point in hiding the fact that Jeff had indeed spiralled when Drea got together with Daniel. We had all taken turns in sitting with Jeff and talking to him – it was the first time that I had really just sat and had a proper conversation with him. Up until that point we had talked about Shannon and the wrestling but nothing personal had ever come up.

I had listened to the fact that Jeff felt like he wasn't just losing his best friend but he was losing the one person who had never put judgment on her love for him, she was the one person who didn't want him to change, she was the one person who stood by his side not just in the good times but in the bad times too and she was the one person who didn't care what he did for a living because she loved him for the man that he was. Of course he was right – Drea never put restrictions on her feelings for people – if she liked you then it was completely 100% support and love.

"God how did he do it?" She asked lighting another cigarette which told both Britt and I that she was stressed. Drea only ever smoked vast amounts when she was stressing out about something.

"We were all there for him – just like we will be here for you too," Britt admitted reaching for her hand.

"What did I do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked taking her free hand in mine when she let her cigarette rest in the grooves of the ashtray.

"Did I really hurt him this badly? How could I have done that? I'm such a bitch!"

"Hey no! We don't want to hear that honey – you did what you thought was best after you and Jeff decided that you were just going to remain friends," Britt replied stubbornly.

"Honestly? That was Jeff's decision; not mine!"

"What are you saying?" I asked tilting my head to look at her.

"I'm saying that I was ready to give us a shot – I wanted to get involved with him, I was just so tired of hiding the way I felt when I knew for a fact that he felt the same way! I went to meet him one night to tell him about Daniel and how I wanted to know if he could ever think about us – because I needed to know before I got too wrapped up in Daniel. I was going to confess everything and tell him that I wanted him to be my lover as well as my best friend but he already had this speech ready and when he said that he just wanted to remain friends – it was like I couldn't breathe so I just nodded my agreement,"

This was the first time that I was hearing this and from the look on Britt's face it was a first for her too. If Jeff had just kept his mouth shut all those years ago; we might not have been having this conversation now. Drea wouldn't be going through all the grief that she was facing and Jeff wouldn't be sucking face with some wannabe bimbette.

"I can't get past the fact that I did this very thing to him – maybe I am just getting my just desserts!" Drea admitted.

"No you're not! Jeff needs to start thinking with his big brain instead of his little brain!" I announced and the 3 of us began laughing.

"I should have known that you'd come up with something like that," Brittany laughed.

"Well you know what – it sure makes me remember that Jeff is just like every other male on the planet!" Drea laughed stubbing out her cigarettes. "As long as I have my girls; I'm going to get through this,"

"Thatta girl!" I smiled resting my head on top of hers as she rested down on my shoulder.

"Is she really that pretty!?"

"Not even a patch on you!" Britt and I both said at the same time.

"That's what I thought!" Drea broke apart laughing.

So long as she kept her sense of humour then she was going to get through this. It wasn't going to be easy – especially if Jeff and Phoebe continued to thrust their attraction to one another in her face but if anyone was strong enough to get through it – it was Drea. After all she had been through to get here she deserved all the credit for making something of herself.

First there was the falling out with her Parent's for the life that she wanted to lead, she had moved in with Jeff and Matt at their Father's house. The Legend treated her as if she were a daughter and Matt looked at her as if she were a little sister, Jeff had never been able to get over his crush and he had admitted that it was when she moved in that he started looking at her differently.

Then there was the whole thing with Daniel – the man had been so patient and understanding that we all knew there was no way that she was ever going to meet another man who would be willing to put up with what was between her and Jeff.

Then came to loss of her baby – the one thing that she had left of Daniel and she had lost her. That kind of blow could leave the strongest person feeling lost and wanting to give in. Drea had bounced back from that with the help of all of us and it was something that she tried to remember but not allow it to control her life.

Now there was this thing with Phoebe – a girl that Drea had thought she had seen the last of when she had left school. Now that person was back in her life and she was making it a misery whether she knew what she was doing or not still remained to be seen.

"Is he happy – do you think?" Drea suddenly asked.

"I don't know – I think that he is just trying to do what you did with Daniel," I replied honestly.

"Oh God don't say that -!"

"Why not?"

"If that is true then he will fall in love with her and we'll all be stuck with her forever,"

The 3 of started laughing and a silent agreement was made that we would support Jeff but we couldn't accept that Phoebe was going to be a part of things from now on. It was just too much to ask of us especially when we all thought that he was making a mistake of trying to hide his feelings for his best friend.

I thanked the heavens for the fact that I had Shannon and we had never been faced with such a long string of drama – getting together had been something that we hadn't been able to deny if we had wanted too. I just had to hope that Jeff would finally realize that Phoebe wasn't what he wanted for the rest of his life. Surely God would allow Jeff and Drea the chance to make it work between them.

**R/N - You guys are just the best EVER! I really do appreciate the fact that y'all take the time not only to read but to leave me comments to let me know how much you enjoy reading my stuff. I truly can't put it into words; so with a much heart felt THANK YOU and I love you guys; I don't know much more that I can say :) If you want more then please remember to leave me a little comment :D I have now finished writing this fic and have moved on to my next one, which will be coming soon - it is something a little different to what I have ever written so I hope that you will all be kind with me haha.**

**Until next Wednesday I bid you all farewell - have a great week and weekend. Love ya loads.  
Harley  
xoxoxo**


	5. Chapter 5 I can't believe it!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 5__ – I can't believe it!_**

_**An Hour Later;**_

_**Matt's House;**_

_**Shannon's POV;**_

I was at a loose end when Claire had headed over to have her usual bitch-fest with Drea and Brittany. To be completely accepted in to the Family – Phoebe would have to win the girls over and if she didn't; it wouldn't be easy for her and Jeff. It was the same way when Drea met a new guy – if Matt, Jeff and I didn't approve then it wasn't easy for Drea to split her time. It was just the way we were – we didn't open ranks very often but when we did; it had to be agreed by every single person in the group.

When I met Claire – I had been extremely lucky; Drea had been the only girl who was a major part of the group; she had been like a sister to all of us except for Jeff, so when she met Claire – the 2 had hit it off from the second they had been introduced and Drea had told me that I would be a fool to let her go. I didn't need to hear that; I knew that I was lucky. I couldn't even imagine my life without her now.

Since Drea had lost her husband, I had been thinking a lot about my future and what I would do if I ever lost Claire. There was no denying that I would be a complete mess with my wife. After all we had faced – our bond had only grown stronger. I truly didn't know how Drea was managing.

"I just can't believe that he lost his cool so easily!" Matt was complaining about the argument that he and Jeff had earlier.

"It must be difficult for him -!"

"Don't you dare make excuses for him – Jeff doesn't do things that he doesn't want too. I mean Jesus Christ; he was the one who took this direction and now he doesn't have time for his best friend anymore,"

"You really think that the flowers were from the guy from last night?" I asked.

"I don't know what else to think," Matt nodded as we flaked out in the front room of his house with Kimo and Yuk.

Kimo and Yuk were as big a part of our lives and the group as anyone else, so talking in front of them wasn't a big deal. They truly knew everything about our lives anyway so it wasn't like we were betraying anyone's confidence.

"What did y'all think of her anyway?" Kimo asked.

I didn't even know what to say to that – I didn't think that it was fair to make snap opinions on someone that we didn't actually know but to be honest; I could tell that I probably wouldn't like her anyway. Last night she had come across as needy and clingy. It seemed to me that every time I turned around; Phoebe was hanging off Jeff like some kind of appendage. That definitely wasn't Jeff – he didn't do public displays of affection with anyone and to see him just letting her hang off him didn't exactly fill me with an air of confidence in his new relationship.

"Let's just say that it's safe to say that if the girls are anything to go by – then she won't be welcomed!" I sighed resting my feet on the foot rest.

"Yeah I thought for sure Drea was going to be able to shoot daggers from her eyes," Matt chuckled.

I felt bad for Jeff – for so long he had tried to deal with his feelings for his best friend and for so long he had denied anything from happening. Then when Daniel had died, we had thought for sure that because of all the time they were spending together that they would get their acts together and finally give in to what was between them. We hadn't thought that Jeff would just go off and find someone to pass his time with; I did have to wonder what he saw in her. Sure Phoebe was pretty and she seemed like she was probably really nice; but she was nothing compared to Drea and I had the sneaking suspicion that Jeff knew that deep down.

I just wished that they would get it together and admit how they felt for one another like Matt and Brittany had done. For months – they had tried to pretend that they were nothing more than friends and in many ways they had been similar to Jeff and Drea. They did everything together.

They hung out alone.

They talked alone.

They spent all their time together when Matt opened his home to her.

It was so completely obvious that they belonged with one another – they looked good together, they made each other laugh, they listened to one another in depth and they supported one another through anything and everything. They hadn't been so frustratingly head strong about not wanting to ruin their friendship; they had taken the chance and now they were stronger than they had ever thought was possible.

"I've never actually seen Drea like that before – I don't mind admitting that she scared the hell outta me," Yuk announced honestly.

"Yeah Drea can turn it on and off pretty quickly that I sometimes wonder how she doesn't give herself whiplash!" Matt chuckled once again.

When it came to relationships – I knew that Claire and I had it pretty easy. We hadn't had any drama when it came to getting together. From the minute that we started dating – I knew that it was right, I knew that she was the one for me and I knew that I couldn't ever want anything more. Claire was my everything and I wouldn't change anything about her.

"Do you think that Jeff really wants Phoebe or do you think that he is maybe trying to make a Drea substitute? I mean you can see that there is a strong similarity between them?" I asked.

There was something about Phoebe that reminded me of Drea – but not only that; she looked very familiar like I had seen her before. I was usually so good at remembering faces and where I had seen them before but there was something eluding me about Phoebe.

"Oh I definitely think that he is in serious denial – that was obvious the way he flew off the handle at what I was saying. But seriously; I can't stand back and watch him through away all that he had built with Drea just because he had found a piece of ass that can give him the one thing that Drea doesn't give him,"

Both brother's were passionate about the things that they believed in and sometimes those opinions were different and that was when they would be at logger heads because neither of them would back down on their own opinions.

"You really think he's dumb enough to do something like that?" Kimo asked shaking his head in disbelief.

The thing with Jeff was that if he couldn't have something that he really wanted – he would find something to fill that want. I was just surprised that he hadn't done this before – in all the years that he had been trying to deny the way he felt for Drea; I was surprised that he hadn't tried finding someone to stop him feeling the way he did. Sure there had been women; mostly one night stands but he had never gone out of his way to introduce us to someone.

"I think that he is just dumb enough to try something like that – but if he ain't careful all he is gonna do is push her away until he doesn't even have her as his friend. 'Cos lets face it – Drea didn't seem all that happy with Phoebe!" Matt said leaning over and picking up his mug.

Matt was right; Drea had looked less than pleased that Phoebe was in our lives and it seemed to me that somehow Drea had taken an instant dislike to her and refused to even listen to how polite the girl had seemed to be. Drea had probably been able to see that Jeff wasn't as in to Phoebe as he was trying to make out.

I had the feeling that things were going to be worse than anyone could have predicted and that maybe this was the one thing that might drive a wedge through our group. We had faced many things as a Family but this could very well finish us all. I didn't want to see that happen and I knew that Matt didn't want it to happen either but if Jeff continued to act this way then he was going to be the cause of us being divided.

I could see it happening already – Claire and Britt would side with Drea. Matt and I would feel the need to side with Jeff and that would just cause internal arguments and things would never be the same again between all of us. I didn't want that to happen, I didn't want to lose the way things were between us right now. I depended on my friends; I depended on having them around just like they were Family. I made a vow right in this moment – I wouldn't be put in the middle of this, I wouldn't chose a side; Drea was my friend and Jeff was my friend and I could support them both.

_**Johnny's House;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

My brother really could try the patience of a fucking saint. Just because I didn't agree with his opinion meant that my opinion didn't matter. Well screw him; this was my life and this was the way that I was choosing to lead it. Phoebe was a nice girl – maybe she wasn't the woman that I wanted but she was definitely enough to keep my mind off the one woman that I wanted more than I had ever wanted anything.

I had just gotten to the point where I couldn't pretend anymore, I didn't want to pretend but the thought of actually telling Drea how I felt scared me more than I would like to admit; I knew that she was still grieving the loss of her husband and their baby, I knew that there might never be a time when she was ready to get involved with a man again. That pained me because I knew how much love she had to give; she was an amazing girl and she was funny, she was accepting and understanding. The thought of her never giving all of that to someone – especially me – made me feel sick because she deserved all that the world had to offer.

"- you know I can see why Matt said what he did," Johnny said throwing a cigarette to me.

"Don't you start too -!" I began to object.

"Seriously bro; everyone knows that you and Drea belong together and this Phoebe chick is just a stop gap until you realize that you can't live without Drea anymore,"

Why was everyone so invested in my love life?

Of course I knew that I wanted Drea but I didn't want her to feel like I was pushing – I didn't know how long it would take her to get over Daniel and that loss – all I knew was that she wasn't over it yet and it would take time.

I knew that Phoebe was a stop gap for me, I knew that it wasn't something that would last but I liked her and I enjoyed spending time with her – when it was clear that she had a lot of the same characteristics that Drea had. I could laugh with her, I could talk to her about pretty much anything and I could sit in perfect silence with her. I never thought that I would find someone who was as easy to hang out with as Drea was. Maybe this was exactly what I needed to get over my best friend.

No one had the right to tell me that I shouldn't be doing this!

No one had the right to try and tell me that they understood what I was feeling!

Sure Matt had been in a similar situation; he and Britt had been friends for a long time before they got together but the difference was that Drea had been in my life for so long that I couldn't remember the time when she wasn't in it and for some reason whenever it got close to us admitting how we felt – something would get in the way and I had to believe that was the universes way of telling us that we were just meant to be friends.

"You know that I want that girl more than I have ever wanted anything but it just never seems to be the right time to get together -!"

"Well of course it doesn't – there was Daniel and the baby and now there is Phoebe to contend with!"

Johnny had been my friend for years and I knew that he would be there for me but the only thing was that Johnny was painfully honest. What was on his mind came straight out of his mouth without even thinking about it. It was one of the things that had drawn me to him as a friend in the first place.

I much preferred my friends to be honest with me; I truly couldn't stand the whole beating around the bush bullshit that most people preferred.

"I know!"

"No I don't think that you do man. You know that I adore Drea; she is definitely what I think is best for you. But last night; I saw the way she was watching you and I could see nothing but hurt on her face, it was plain for everyone to see -!"

"Oh really? 'Cos all I saw was the fact that her face was stuck to that guy's face all night!"

Watching Drea with that other man last night had only confirmed that I had lost this girl again. I couldn't keep doing this to myself; I couldn't keep getting completely close to her only to be left feeling shit about the fact that she insisted on rubbing it in my face that she didn't want me.

"Yeah I saw the way you were watching her last night – which brings me to my question; what is the point in being with Phoebe when you know the woman that you really want?"

I knew that he was right, hell he was only saying what Matt had been saying but in a more direct way. I couldn't understand why everyone seemed to be making a huge deal out of the fact that I had began to take charge of my love life. I had been pining over a girl – that didn't want me – for too long now.

"I just can't do it anymore Johnny – it's killing me to be so close to Drea and know that nothing is ever going to happen with us. I mean come on – you know better than anyone how much I love that girl and what I would do for her but she doesn't see me like that anymore – I can't keep fooling myself in to thinking that things are going to happen!"

Johnny was the one person that I had always talked to about what I was feeling for Drea. Johnny was the only person that I could talk to about what I was feeling for my best friend, when it had usually been my best friend that I had talked too about the girls that I had liked when we were in school. It had strangely enough felt weird talking to someone who wasn't Drea. I wasn't used to talking to someone who wasn't Drea about my problems but that had been – and still was – the only person that I just couldn't talk too about this particular problem.

Maybe if I threw myself in to this relationship with Phoebe then I would finally be able to go back to looking at Drea as just my best friend. It wasn't like Phoebe wasn't fun; she was pretty, she was easy to talk too but at the end of the day she just wasn't Drea. But it sort of felt like she was trying to be Drea; she had the same hair, she dressed similarly and she sometimes said some things that sounded like Drea.

"Come on man – you don't know that nothing is ever going to happen!"

"If it were going to happen then it would have happened already!" I stated firmly as I moved to the fridge and grabbed another 2 bottles of beer. "You know it feels weird – I have everything else in my life falling in to place; my career; I have accomplished everything that was possible to accomplish in the WWE, my personal life is finally getting back on track with my new house and all that other stuff and I have a girlfriend who completely dotes on me but I'm just not happy -!"

"What would it take to make you happy?"

"Drea!"

I didn't even need to think about that. Drea had always been the one – it had taken me a little while to realize it and it had taken a hell of a lot of self control not to just give in to our feelings but we had both agreed that our friendship was much more important than trying to get to the next level when it could end up ruining everything that we had with each other.

My only problem with our decision was – I still wanted her more than I had ever wanted anyone. I could see her in chill out cloths of jogging pants and a baggy t-shirt and I would still think that she was the most stunning looking woman. I could see her being sick and still know that I was irrevocably in love with her. Nothing I did would just make me love her less. I couldn't escape and I couldn't go back on our agreement. In essence I was stuck in limbo until I met Phoebe; she had given me hope to believe that I wasn't going to end up alone.

"Then tell her!" Johnny said as if it were the only possible way to turn the situation around.

I didn't even know if I could turn it around anymore; things were so complicated now that I didn't think there was anyway to go back. I had Phoebe; I had decided to walk this path while Drea seemed intent on just letting loose and having a good time by sticking her tongue down any random guy's throat. I was confused at what I should do.

On the one hand when I was with Phoebe – I would eventually manage to stop thinking about Drea and just let myself have fun.

On the other hand I felt bad at what I was doing to Phoebe – I was making her believe that there was the chance of this being a real committed relationship when I knew that my heart wasn't really in to it.

For some strange reason the chorus of Drea's favourite Meatloaf song sprang in to my mind and played itself out in entirety;

'_And all I can do is keep on telling you, I want you, I need you, But -- there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you, Now don't be sad cause two out of three ain't bad, Now don't be sad cause two out of three ain't bad! I can't lie, I can't tell you that I'm something I'm not, No matter how I try; I'll never be able, To give you something, Something that I just haven't got, There's only one girl that I will ever love, And that was so many years ago, And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart,_'

Maybe I was destined to just carry on through life alone – maybe I should just tell Phoebe to walk away from me before I really hurt her. I never wanted to hurt anyone – all I wanted to do was fill this huge gapping hole in my chest and I had thought that somehow Phoebe would be able to do that.

"I really wish that it were that simple man,"

"Why isn't it?"

"You saw her last night – she could careless about me or the fact that I am with someone else; there wasn't even a sign of her being slightly jealous,"

"You have to be kidding me right?"

"No! Why?"

"You obviously weren't seeing what the rest of us were seeing -!"

Clearly I hadn't seen what he was talking about cos if I had seen something that would have given me any indication of her being jealous. That had made my stomach churn; there had been absolutely no emotion on her face. Maybe she was just past what we had felt for one another! Maybe she had truly found her soul mate in Daniel.

"And what was that?"

"It was the fact that for the majority of the night – when she didn't have her tongue stuck down that guy's throat – she was watching you, and there was that longing in her eyes, the kind of longing that said if looks could kill – Phoebe would have been annihilated on the spot!"

Why did that make me feel better?

Why did the thought of Drea feeling miserable make me feel happy?

That was cruel and I never wanted her to be unhappy, I always wanted to be the one who made her smile that gorgeous smile, the way that she gave out that hearty giggle that would always make me laugh along with her – even if I didn't know what she was laughing at. The way her beautiful long hair would tumble down over her shoulders and just bounce with every movement that she made; made me ache in every possible way for her. The large eyes that could reduce me to a quivering mess on the ground.

I had ached for women before – but there was nothing like the ache that I felt for Drea – the woman had me in the palm of her hand and she didn't even know it. I would do anything for her and I would give up anything for her. I didn't care if she loved me back or not – I just wanted her. I had always wanted her; even before I even knew that I wanted her. I just couldn't escape her and I couldn't quit her. I didn't want too. I wanted to be with her and I would take whatever she had to offer. And clearly she only wanted me as a friend so I would continue seeing Phoebe with the hope that my feelings would turn in to more.

**R/N - You guys really are the best - I can't find a way to thank you enough for all that you have done for my confidence in writing. I love you all to bits for the way that you have been patient and understanding with me.**

**Now that I have finished writing this fic with plans to come back and do a sequel in the near future; I have started a new fic and if you look at my profile page and to the fave TV Show part you will get the idea of what I have coming up :) and lets just say that I can't stop thinking of Jeff that way :D there is most definitely something sexy about it :) Anyway as always if you want more of this just let me know and remember that you are what keeps me writing so THANK YOU all from the bottom of my heart. :)**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	6. Chapter 6 Moving In!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 6__ – Moving in._**

_**2 Months Later;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

I couldn't believe that they were doing this to me now – the army home that I had been living in with Daniel was being repossessed so that a new Family could move in to it. I was being made to give up everything – my home, my memories, and my life here with Daniel and all that we had built the house into. I was at a loss; I didn't know what to do, I didn't know where to turn and I didn't know if I could actually leave the one place where I felt closest to Daniel. But I had no option but to go – I was given no chance to protest. I wasn't married to anyone on the force anymore; hence I wasn't welcome to stay on the base. That was just great.

Thankfully Jeff had offered me a room at his new house. At first I didn't want to accept because things between us had been strained lately; what with him and his little bimbo, but I had come to realize that this girl wasn't going to push me away and I held my head high when I finally accepted his offer.

Phoebe had been seething when I did accept – I could see it in her eyes and something deep inside made me rejoice at that. The girl was driving me crazy; she was loud, she was obnoxious and she had once again started to copy my every move. Now her hair was died the same shade of blond that mine was and her wardrobe was almost identical to my own. It creeped me out to think that this girl was getting away with being an almost exact blue print of myself. Jeff didn't seem to mind and every time I brought it up with him; he would sulk and say he didn't notice what I was talking about. Of course that just made me even madder.

Maybe I was crazy for moving in with him – but I really had no where else to go. Matt and Brittany were all loved up with one another, as were Shannon and Claire. I didn't like to impose and the fact that Phoebe wasn't actually living with Jeff – had made him seem like the only solution to my problem. Plus we were best friends and I didn't want to ruin that for anything. It didn't matter if I still had feelings for him and it sure as hell wasn't going to stop me from hanging out with him. Phoebe would just have to find a way to deal with it. Just like I had to find a way to deal with the fact that my best friend now had to divide his time between me and her.

I knew that it couldn't be easy for Jeff – for the majority of our lives; we had been glued at the hip. We were always together, we were always talking on the phone if we were apart and we always spent as much time together as possible. When I had met Daniel – I had, had to learn how to split my time equally and it sure as hell hadn't been an easy thing for me to do. In a weird way I had felt like I was excluding Jeff from my life – the life that he had always been a part of. Then of course there was the way I felt like I wasn't giving all of myself to Daniel – when he had been nothing but up front and honest with me about whom he was. I had never been able to choose between them and thankfully neither of them had asked me too and that was why I owed Jeff the same courtesy of at least trying to get along with Phoebe.

I knew that it wasn't going to be easy – the woman had a voice that sounded vaguely like nails on a chalk board. All topics of conversation were somehow linked back to her and she couldn't seem to keep her hands off my best friend.

It made me sick.

I wanted to heave desperately when I was around them and it had taken me nearly a month to admit that I was indeed jealous.

I couldn't help but wonder if this was how Jeff had felt when he was around Daniel and me; but then I thought back and I knew that Daniel and I hadn't been rubbing it in his face. Daniel had realized that Jeff was struggling with the fact that his best friend was settling down and didn't have as much time as usual to spend with him. That had been one of the things that had made me fall in love with my husband – the fact that he knew that Jeff meant the world to me and he was confident enough in us to let me have that friendship.

"You do know that your room is big enough that you could have taken some of your things over here?" Jeff asked as he heaved one of the larger boxes from the rental van that I had purchased for my move.

"I know babe; but putting it in storage was much easier than trying to decide what it was that I wanted to take with me. I have so many memories with pretty much everything from the house that having it here just doesn't feel right," I admitted as I grabbed another box and began to follow my best friend in to his – our – home.

"I can completely understand that babe! I'm just glad that you agreed to move in," He turned and smiled at me.

My heart threatened to break right out of my chest, my stomach churned desperately and I was worried that I might drop the box in my hands from the rush of desire that swept through me from just that one look. I didn't understand anymore than I had ever been able to understand the connection that was between us but I was quickly reminded that he was off limits when Phoebe came bouncing out of the kitchen with tall glasses of ice tea on a tray for us. I guess I could give her the fact that she had actually done something nice for us.

"Me too,"

Once Jeff placed the box in to my room, I closed the door and gave them some privacy while I collapsed on my bed and stared at the ceiling. This was probably going to be the hardest thing that I had ever done – being around them when they were being all lovey dovey wasn't exactly something that I relished witnessing.

Damn you Daniel for dying!

Why did you have to leave me alone?

Couldn't you have just hung on?

For the first time since he had passed – I felt completely alone. It didn't matter that I was in a house with people; I felt isolated because no one understood what I was going through and I felt cast aside because my best friend had a new girlfriend.

How selfish is that?

I was alone and miserable so I wanted Jeff to be the same way. I didn't know when I had turned in to this pathetic human being who didn't want anyone to be happy just because she wasn't happy herself. What did that make me?

A loser! Pathetic! A waste of space! A coward! A bitch!

I didn't know; all I knew was that I didn't like who I was becoming. I had never been the kind of person who didn't want others to be happy especially my best friend. Jeff was everything to me; he had been there through the years, he had sheltered me from my Parent's and given me a way out and not once had he asked for anything in return. I guess that was what made him the man that he was. The man that I loved.

Even just admitting that I was in love with him hurt me; I felt like I was somehow betraying my husband; like I hadn't grieved for him enough. Yesterday when I had been packing up my things, I had come across the one song that he had always played just before he went out on deployment; it was his way of saying that he would do everything in his power to get back to me but there was really no guarantees especially in the line of work that he was in. Quickly grabbing my IPod player from the nightstand; I skipped through the tracks until I found the haunting intro to the song and just let it play out in my mind and the tears started to flow like a fountain.

'_Every song on the radio's about us tonight, Or the words make it hard to forget, As the memories flash back to me line after line, The moments that we won't regret, If there's bad blood between us, or feelings unsaid, Don't say a word, just hold me instead, One kiss for the night we met, One for the dreams we shared, One for the laughter and tears, One final rendezvous, One last I love you, One lasing memory, One dance for old times, Girl don't you think you and I deserve one last goodbye, There's a painting of you in a beautiful light, Hangs on the wall of my heart, It'll live there forever, time after time, Like a priceless, fine work of art, I don't want to convince you, Don't make me explain, All that I'm feeling, Baby you'll feel the same, Baby, One kiss for the night we met, One for the dreams we shared, One for the laughter and tears, One final rendezvous, One last I love you, One lasing memory, One dance for old times, Girl don't you think you and I deserve one last goodbye, One last goodbye, No good guys no bad guys, When dawn comes no sad eyes, We might not get this close again, It'll all be alright if it's just for tonight, What if this isn't the end? For the night we met, Dreams we shared, For the laughter and tears, Final rendezvous, One last I love you, One lasting memory, One dance for old times, Girl don't you think you and I deserve one last goodbye, One last goodbye, One last goodbye.'_

I couldn't stop how thick and fast the tears were coming – I didn't want to stop and as I turned on to my side, I gave in to the pain, I gave in to the fact that my husband was never coming back and that I was now going to have to face this world alone. Even my best friend couldn't be fully by my side, and I owed him the chance to be happy. The thought of him being miserable because of me made my heart hurt but I couldn't like Phoebe; I had tried being nice to her but all I got in return were snide remarks, I tried seeing a good person in her but all I could see was the wannabe that she had been in school.

Of course people would say that she was only that way because she was lonely – but maybe she was lonely because she was that way. I didn't know and I didn't care to find out. I would be civil to her, I would talk to her for Jeff's sake but I wouldn't hang out with her and I wouldn't become bosom buddies with her either.

I silently thanked Jeff for letting me decorate this room – because it would give me something to do while I was here. I just had to hope that somewhere down the line; Jeff would see that Phoebe definitely wasn't what he wanted. I knew my best friend – he liked to be around people who were individuals and did their own thing regardless of what anyone else thought and if I knew one thing about his new girlfriend; it was that she was in no way an original person.

"See you later Drea!" Phoebe called through the door.

Why did she have to call me that? Only my friends were allowed to call me Drea; clearly she had a misconception of who she was to me and I didn't like it!

"Catch you later Pheebs!" I called back knowing that she hated being called that.

A few moments later I heard the front door close followed quickly by the start of the motor of her car, which just so happened to be a similar car to my own. It grated on my last nerve but Jeff clearly couldn't see that it was getting to me and I had to make allowances for him because he must have gone through the very same thing with me and Daniel.

I couldn't understand why I couldn't stop thinking about my husband as the song repeated itself at my request. It had been a year since his death and people kept saying to me that time will make it better when in my own opinion it just made it worse.

The sound of my bedroom door opened and then closed, which was followed by the dip in the bed then I was in his powerful arms, being cradled from the world and all my pain. Jeff definitely was the only man who could make me feel better than I had ever hoped to feel after I had just lost everything that had ever mattered to me.

How was I meant to cope with this?

_**Jeff's POV;**_

The minute that Phoebe had said goodbye to Drea and she had replied – I knew that she was crying. Drea wasn't my best friend for nothing – I knew exactly what her moods were and leaving the house where she had shared so much with Daniel was definitely going to have an effect on her. It wouldn't have been natural if it didn't. And the minute I walked in to the room, I could see the movement in her shoulders as she tried to hide what she was feeling and going through.

Wrapping her up in to my arms, she clung to me as if her life depended on it. I would be right here by her side through it when she needed me and clearly she needed me now. So I was glad that Phoebe had to go home and get ready for her night shift at the hospital. It meant that I had all night to be right here for my best friend and make sure that she didn't sink too far down.

"Why did he have to die Jeff?" She sobbed as she turned and buried herself into my chest.

"I don't know babe,"

It hurt every part of my body to hear her crying like this – for the most part I had thought that she had gotten past the loss of her husband but once again I was reminded that what I thought I knew about women was minimal at best. When I looked at Drea I knew that she was one of those women who tried to keep everything together for so long – she would ignore her feelings – until she just exploded with emotion like she was doing right now.

I had tried my best to be there for her, I had stayed with her every night that I was at home, I comforted her on the phone when I was away and I had put in for some leave when my contract comes to an end. I had refused to sign a new contract – because for the first time in my life, I wanted to put someone else above my own needs. Drea was the most important person in my life and if she needed me here then I would do it without question or complaint.

"I just have so much that I want to talk to him about -!"

"Have you tried?"

"Uhm – have you missed the fact that he is dead? I can't talk to him -!"

"Awe honey your sarcasm never ceases to amaze me!" I chuckled as we snuggled further down the bed until her body was resting against my own and it felt right to be this way with her.

"I'm here every night -!" She let out a small giggle. "But seriously I think that you maybe bumped your head real bad in the ring – maybe you should go talk to your doc,"

"I didn't take a knock to the head," I argued the point. "I meant go up to the graveyard and talk to him,"

"Talk to a stone?" She asked lifting her head to look at me.

"No talk to your husband," I corrected her. "I do that with my Mom when there is something that I need to talk about,"

"You have just taken weird to a whole new level you know that?"

It definitely never failed to amaze me how easy she seemed to put her thoughts in to words. There was absolutely no sign of her worrying about the way those things were said; she thought it, she said it end of subject. I loved that about her – I loved the fact that she had absolutely no inhibitions when it came to letting her feelings be known.

"Mmmm," I nodded as the smile creeped across my face.

"I would just feel too weird doing that,"

"What's worse? Feeling weird or talking to your husband?"

I knew that there was something going on with her – she was my best friend after all. It was my job to know when things weren't right with her. For the past 2 months; I had felt a gap growing between us; she was more intent on hanging out with Kimo and Yuk; they would go drinking, they would party and sometimes she went on the road with Kimo when he went to wrestling matches. I was losing my best friend and there didn't seem to be anything that I could do about it.

I wanted to scream at her to stop moving away from me.

I wanted to beg her to stay by my side.

"Let's just drop it yeah?" She asked resting in to my hold once again.

"Fair enough," I nodded resting my head back against the pillows and staring straight at the ceiling.

I had to admit that I was more than happy with the way my home looked now. It had taken a little while to get to the point where I could actually live in it and now that I was, I couldn't be happier to have Drea here with me. Living with her again felt right and it brought me straight back to when we were teenagers and living together at my Dad's house. I could still remember the things that we had done.

We had put cellophane wrap over the toilet seat in mine and Matt's bathroom.

We teased Matt about any and every girl that he met.

We hid Matt's cloths.

We pulled the seams out of his jeans so that when he went out; they fell apart.

I could still remember the pounding that I took from my brother and the verbal attack he set upon Drea. None of the guys ever took Drea on in a fight – because mostly she was a tenacious pistol when she got in that ring. There hadn't been a time when she hadn't pinned all of us at one point or another. The wrestling ring was perfect for Drea because it let her work out all her frustrations in a controlled way. The thing with my best friend was that she was an extremely passionate woman and when it came to her emotions; she could become very volatile.

"So what do you think about Phoebe?" I asked her and instantly felt her body coil tightly against me.

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah I guess I am,"

"Then what does it matter what I think about her?" She asked sitting up and grabbing her cigarettes before handing me one and led the way out of the bedroom and out on to the back decking.

"It matters cos you are my best friend and I need to know that my girl is going to get along with my other girl," I admitted sliding the French doors closed slightly.

"If you like her – I like her," She admitted.

There was something not right about the way she said that. I couldn't put my finger on it but I got the feeling that she didn't like Phoebe at all – and maybe that was why there with this large gaping chasm between us. Maybe that was why my other friends were keeping their distance too.

"Ok!" I replied sitting down on the steps and lighting my cigarette.

"I just think that once we get on the road in a couple of days; we might get to know her better and we will be better informed to make an opinion of her 'cos let's face it you've kind of been keeping her to yourself,"

We were heading off the day after tomorrow on the road – Brittany, Claire, Shannon, Matt, Phoebe, Drea and I were heading to Chicago for the next taping of Smackdown and I figured that it would definitely going to be the best time for my Family to get to know my new girlfriend. I just wanted to know that they liked her and that they were going to welcome her in to the fold.

"Do you still want me to do your hair before we go?" Drea asked squeezing in to the spot next to me and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah that would be great baby girl," I replied turning and kissing her head softly.

I had always called her baby girl just merely for the fact that she was a few months younger than I was. It had started from my Father – that had been what he called her from the minute that he met her and it had just stuck. When we were younger she hated us calling her that – it was ok for my Father but she would go all schizo on Matt, Shannon and I if we called her it. Now though she didn't mind at all.

"What colour we going this time?"

"I don't know I think dark brown and purple with a touch of blue and a small section of blond," I told her.

"Sounds good to me!" She smiled before sticking the cigarette in to her mouth and taking a long deep drag. "We'll do it tomorrow yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan!" I smiled back at her.

I was glad that she had taken my offer to live with me – it felt only right to have her in my new house. I could hardly believe that she had been thrown out of the home that she had shared with Daniel just because she wasn't in the Army. Putting her out on the street was the perfect way to repay her for all that her husband done for this country – and I definitely meant that in the most sarcastic way that I could.

When I had lost everything in the fire last year – Drea had been the one who had stayed by my side, she slept over with me at Matt's, she didn't leave my side, she comforted me when I needed it and she made me laugh when I needed too. Eventually she was the one who gave me the kick up the ass that I needed to take my life back; maybe this house just wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for her so it was her home for as long as she wanted it to be.

**R/N - You guys are the best - THANK YOU so much for remaining patient and supportive of me - you really do make writing all the more fun; it means the world to me and I can't find the words to thank you :) Look out on Friday for the new fic featuring Jeff as a Vampire - its called Forbidden Attraction; I hope you'll enjoy it :D**

**Love you all loads.  
Harley  
xoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7 Trying my last patience!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 7__ – Trying my Last Patience._**

_**The Following Day;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

Phoebe was grating on my last fucking nerve. I didn't know how Jeff expected me to work on him with her hanging over my shoulder and making snide little comments every 5 minutes. Clearly Jeff didn't notice it and he obviously just wanted me to get along with his new girlfriend but I had tried; I really had. I had made her coffee when she arrived – only to be criticized for the way that I make it, I had tried talking to her about the things that she liked to do but it was obvious that she didn't really have very much of a social life. Eventually I had tried talking to her about Jeff – but she seemed more intent on talking about me.

I really couldn't understand what my best friend saw in her other than her looks.

There was no denying that she was a pretty girl; if she would just find her own look instead of copying mine. That seriously pushed my buttons and I was left wondering if that was what she really wanted. Maybe she wanted me out of the way so that she could have Jeff all to herself – well I had a massive reality check for her; Jeff and I had survived many partners wanting to get rid of us; but it had never worked before and it wasn't about to work now. The quicker that Phoebe realized that; the better it would be for everyone involved.

Last night had been great – Jeff and I just hung out with one another; we talked, we laughed, he held me when I cried and he listened when I needed to just ramble. There was no Phoebe and that had made my night 10 times better.

Jeff and I had shut ourselves off from the world, phoned for takeout and just chilled in the new house. It had felt like a lifetime since we had been alone long enough to just be our usual selves with one another. We ended up talking about the decoration – Jeff wanted us both to work on the painting in the bedrooms because I was an artist with a completely different style to him; which he thought would compliment his. I was flattered that he had asked me because in a way; it made me feel like this was my home.

Being in my best friends arms was comforting and it truly felt like I belonged there. I knew that there was nothing that Jeff wouldn't do for me; just like there was nothing that I wouldn't do for him. I loved him with the kind of passion that I should have loved my husband with and maybe that was why I was finding it hard letting him go.

I felt guilty that I hadn't loved him as much as he loved me.

"You missed a spot!" Phoebe cooed from behind me.

If this girl took the time to listen – she would know that I hate people standing over my shoulder when I am working. It just made me nervous and edgy, which led to me making mistakes.

"I know I missed a spot – I am leaving it free of the colour because another colour has to go there!" I admitted turning and glaring at her. "I do know what I'm doing!" I snapped angrily as I unintentionally tugged on Jeff's hair.

"_Ouch!" _He exclaimed flinching away from me.

'_Well if you told this bimbo to go play with the traffic then I wouldn't be tugging on your hair Nero!' _I muttered to myself. "Sorry!" I said out loud instead.

It had felt like the minute the sun had risen this morning Phoebe was at the door. Jeff and I hadn't gone to bed until around 4 in the morning so when the doorbell rang it felt like I had only just closed my eyes but it had been 4 hours – but 4 hours of sleep did not give me the patience to put up with this woman stood behind me criticizing every single move I made. I was a hairdresser after all; I did know what I was doing. Hell I had done Jeff's hair many a time.

"You know I was thinking on maybe cutting my hair again -!" Jeff said as I ran the comb through the part that I had just died before covering it with baking foil to stop it from running in to the other colours.

"_No! Don't do that!" _Phoebe exclaimed finally moving around so she was in front of him.

I sent a silent prayer up to the heaven's for getting her to move from behind me. If she knew me at all then she would have known that I hate having people looking over my shoulders especially when I was working. It was a trait that I had, had since I was in beauty school. Even my teachers had known to stand to the side of me when I worked; I don't know what it was whether it was a touch of claustrophobia or what; I just knew that I couldn't stand it and it made me irritable.

"Pheebs I have too – it's killing me,"

"But I like your hair long -!" She complained again.

Just the sound of her nails on chalk board voice was bugging the shit out of me. If Jeff wanted to cut his hair then she had absolutely no right to be trying to talk him out of it. I knew from experience that going in the ring with extra long hair was a vice that most competitors picked up on quickly. This of course was dangerous because you were always brushing it out of your face when you got sweaty.

"I can do it for you now if you want Nero?" I asked resting my head on top of his not caring if I got hair dye all over me.

"Would you? That'd be great sugar," He replied. "And could you shave in my sides for me too?"

"You know you take advantage of me!" I laughed standing back up while I pulled the spot that I had missed up so that I could apply the last blond streak.

Ever since Jeff had found his gimmick I had been taking care of his hair for him; the gimmick wasn't really a gimmick because what you saw on TV was really who he was. There was no false pretence; I loved that about him. All my friends were unique in their own way, which was something that I never wanted them to change.

Not only did I take care of his hair; but I took care of everyone else's that we hung out with. I waxed Matt's back and chest and I waxed Jeff's back – I point blank refused to wax his chest because I liked his chest hair. I did their arms and legs too – just because of the profession that they were in; they had to be hair free. Then there were all the massages that I gave and the nails that I did for my girls.

"Hey come on now you know that you can't resist me!" Jeff chimed looking up at me and I could see Phoebe literally seething from her spot in front of Jeff.

"Well there is that!" I giggled softly before quickly averting my eyes to the job at hand.

There was no way that I was going to be chased away from my best friend – there were so many things that we had done together; so many memories that I wouldn't ever trade for anything else.

There were the times that we would lounge out on the sofa in his Pop's house and watch the wrestling matches that we managed to scrape the money together to order on the PPV. We would argue – just for the sake of arguing – over who were our favourite wrestlers were.

There were the times when we watched football and for so long we just sat there and took the piss out of the opposing teams, and then there came the time when Jeff started noticing the cheerleaders. I had definitely taken the piss out of him for such a long time after that – he eventually admitted that he was attracted to them; when he had strongly denied it for so long. I guess my teasing had just gotten to him.

Then there came the time when I had to give him tips on how a girl liked to be kissed and how we liked to be treated. I had been dating a lot longer than he had; because for so long Jeff had just been so into his wrestling and getting into the business. I had to admire him for that – he had seen something that he wanted and he chased it until he got it. No one could say that he wasn't committed to the industry.

I remember sharing our first joint together and I realized quickly that it wasn't for me; Jeff maintained that it was because I was such a control freak and I guessed that he was indeed right. I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to control myself.

I remember the first night that I moved into his Daddy's house – Jeff had stayed by my side the whole night and just held me close while I cried myself to sleep. All I had ever wanted from my Parent's was to hear them say that they were proud of me – but it had just gotten so bad that I couldn't live with them anymore.

I remember us going to our first concert – Pearl Jam had been playing in Raleigh and we had an amazing night until it came time to go home – Jeff's piece of junk car broke down in the car park after the show.

I remember us going to our first bar when we turned 21 years old – Jeff had gotten asked for ID which I had ended up ripping the piss out of him for the whole night.

By the time I had foiled all of the hair that had been died, the doorbell rang. Jeff jumped up out of the seat that he had been sat in for the past 45 minutes and rushed to answer it.

"Why do you have to cater to his weird side?" Phoebe demanded as she stepped in to my space.

Now if this girl had taken the time to get to know me; she would know that I hated people getting in my personal space; especially if they were being confrontational. I could tell from the look on her face that she meant to intimidate me but she had definitely picked the wrong person.

"Look I don't know what your problem is – but I personally adore Jeff's _'weird' _side and if you cared for him the way you pretend you do; you would stop trying to make him change and in future – little girl – step in my face again; you are going to regret it instantly!" I scowled and stalked off when I heard the sound of Matt talking in the front room.

Most people thought that it was weird of me to be attracted to Jeff when I looked at Matt as if he were my big brother. I couldn't even explain it myself; all I knew was that I was in love with my best friend and I adored my big brother Matt as if he really were my biological brother. At times I wished that he were my brother; he had never failed to come through for me, he was always there to talk to when I needed to let off steam about my feelings for Jeff and I could trust Matt as if he were Family.

I was glad that he had finally gotten together with Brittany – they had been very similar to the friendship that Jeff and I had. It gave me hope that Jeff and I could indeed get our acts together at some point. Moving in to the front room my eyes landed on Matt and Gil – the boys Dad and my own Dad for what its worth – stood talking to Jeff.

"Papa!" I exclaimed rushing in to his arms.

I definitely owed this man my life; he had taken me in and given me a real home with real parental care that I hadn't ever really had before. I hate to think what would have come of me if Gil hadn't taken me in.

_**Gil's POV;**_

Jeff truly did frustrate me sometimes – there was no way that anyone could deny the way he felt about Andrea. They had been best friends for the better half of their lives. I always said that looks come and go, great bodies weren't always going to be there but if you married someone that you could actually talk too then you knew that it could work. Not that Jeff would marry Andrea because he just wasn't one who put much belief in it but I could see them really lasting with one another.

"There's my favourite daughter!" I chuckled hugging her close to me.

Andrea had been in our lives now for as long as anyone could even remember and she felt like she was a part of the Family – she definitely was the daughter that I had never gotten to have.

"Awe Pops I'm your only daughter -!" She giggled snuggling in to my hold.

It had completely dumbfounded me why Andrea's Parent's just couldn't put their trust in her. There had never been anything that she had wanted to do and hadn't been able to pull it off. Growing up for her was hard because she was continuously surrounded by guys but she had made it work for her – she hadn't lost her feminine side but she knew how to play rough with the guys. I think that led to why the guys were afraid of her – it had nothing to do with her strength; it was because she could switch to feminine girly girl in a blink of the eye.

"Makes it all the easier to say you're my favourite then doesn't it!?" I chuckled as I winked down at her.

When she had moved in to the house with us – it was like having a fresh breath of air around again. The sound of her laugh filled the house, her warm nature creeped in to every corner of the place and it felt good to have a female presence around again. It didn't take long for her to manage to get Matt and Jeff under control and that had been when I realized that they needed that female presence in their lives.

Dee; my current girlfriend was forever telling me that sometimes she would look at Andrea and she could see her being a Mother – the way she clucked around the guys; sorting out their injuries when they got any and the way she groomed the boys – it was definitely something that I hadn't noticed until it was pointed out to me.

"Coffee Pops?" Andrea asked.

"Sure honey,"

The two of us made our way back to the kitchen at the back of the house leaving Jeff and Matt to talk and Phoebe to flutter around. I didn't like the girl, I had tried to be nice, I had tried talking to her and I had tried to find some form of common ground with her but there just seemed to be an empty core to the girl. It was almost like she didn't have her own opinion on anything at all and she hung off Jeff's arm like she was surgically planted there. It bothered me to see the way she was around him and the nasty glares that she seemed to throw at Andrea.

If I had my way – my son would be with the woman that he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. And that definitely wasn't Phoebe.

Matt had told me that Andrea rarely hung out with them anymore because of Phoebe, that bothered me somewhat because I hadn't brought my boys up to be the kind of men who forgot their friends just because they were getting a piece of ass; no matter how good it was.

"So sugar –!"

"Yeah Dad?" Andrea asked as she started pottering around making the coffee.

"What do you really think of Miss Squeaky clean shoes? Since it has been forever since I saw you!"

"I don't even know where to start," She sighed heavily.

I closed the kitchen door and told her to start at the beginning – she told me all about her past with Phoebe and the fact that she was now pushing her way in to her life again and as much as Andrea wanted to fight back; she didn't want to look like the jealous best friend so she sat back and just hoped that Jeff would realize sooner rather than later.

It bothered me to hear how the girl seemed to idolize Andrea; copying her look, following her around like a little lost puppy, and the way she seemed to want to control Jeff now; definitely bothered me. I didn't want to have to get heavy with my son about his life because I had never been the type of Father who interfered in his boys life very often, which was a good thing because Jeff knew that I wouldn't get involved if I didn't think that it was necessary but as Andrea reassured me about making sure that Phoebe didn't get things all her way made me feel a little better. So for the moment, I decided to stay out of it.

"Ok sugar, well if it gets worse or you feel like it's getting out of control – you call me yes?"

"I will Pops!" She nodded as she ran my coffee under the cold tap for a mere second just so my coffee wasn't boiling hot then handed me the mug. "I missed you Pops!"

"I missed you too kid – I would have come round but you know me; I don't butt in until its too difficult to ignore the problem and Jeff assured me that you were getting by,"

"I was – I am! I just miss him you know?"

"Of course I know. I wish that I could say it gets better but unfortunately all I can say is that it just gets easier to deal with,"

When I lost my wife, I had thought for sure that I was going to mess up as a Father but I had finally gotten there and I managed to raise my boys to be respectful. I couldn't have been more proud of my Family if I tried.

"Well I guess that is something and it's better than what people have been saying to me lately!"

"Let me guess – it gets better with time?" I chuckled as she grabbed her own mug and we headed out into the front room where Matt and Jeff were still talking and Phoebe was just sitting sulking; or at least that was my interpretation of what she was doing.

"Yeah – don't you just hate that?" Drea asked completely ignoring my son's new girlfriend and patting the space next to her on the larger sofa.

I had to admit that Jeff had really had everything that he wanted put in to this house and as usual it was as unique as he was. Drea looked just as comfortable sitting in this house – since she was as much an individual as my son was. Phoebe certainly didn't look like she fitted here – I had never seen someone look more out of place before.

"Hey – brat where's our coffee?" Matt asked teasing Drea.

"Hey – do I look like a wet nurse to you? You know where the kettle is!" Drea replied sticking her tongue out at my oldest son.

When Drea had moved in to the house; life definitely had changed. My son's best friend had always made herself at home in my house; at my own encouragement and when she moved in; she made it perfectly clear that she was not going to be running after the boys like some slave. It certainly made my life easier – I didn't have to nag at them nearly half as much as I had used too. I think my boys thought that they would have someone to run around doing their laundry and cooking for them when Drea moved in. The minute she had laid down the ground rules; I had known that she was going to fit in perfectly well.

Once she had been living in the house for a few months – the practical jokes on Matt started. Jeff and Drea would dream up new ways of teasing him – mainly because he was the oldest and he took charge of all the wrestling things that they got involved in. The 2 of them together had thought that it was perfectly acceptable to torture him – there was the film wrap around the toilet seat that had nearly caused Matt to crack his head on the bathroom sink, there was the salt in the sugar container, there was the ribbing of any girl who took the slightest interest in him and there was the unravelling of his jean seams. It had certainly livened up the house to have Drea there.

"You know you really are like my little brat sister!" Matt chimed as he headed towards the kitchen leaving Jeff standing smirking after him.

"You're mean!" Jeff muttered as he threw himself down next to Phoebe who happily took delight in fussing over him.

Drea instantly turned away and looked out the window to the grounds of where my son lived. I don't know how many times Matt, Brittany, Claire, Shannon, Shane, Kimo, Yuk, Johnny or myself had told Drea and Jeff that they belonged together but for whatever stupid reasons they had; they refused to even acknowledge what we were trying to say to them. It was almost like they were purposely trying to deny themselves any kind of happiness.

Now Jeff had this viper hanging all over him and getting rid of her was going to prove problematic – I may be an old man but I could definitely foresee the drama that was going to come when Jeff decided to call the relationship quits and I knew that he would.

It didn't matter what either of them did – they would never be truly happy with anyone else. They always made a big show of being with other people but when it came to actual life-long happiness – they were definitely it for each other. The sooner they realized that; the better it would be for everyone involved.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for being so patient with me lately - I can't thank you enough for that. You really are what keeps me writing so if you want more please just leave me little review and/or note :) I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	8. Chapter 8 Girls Night!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 8__ – Girls Night._**

_**Later that night;**_

_**Claire's POV;**_

No one blamed Drea for not wanting to go out tonight. With the way she felt about Jeff; the last thing she would feel like doing is sitting in a restaurant and watching Phoebe all over him. Even Shannon and I thought that it was over the top and completely sickening and that was saying something considering the way Shannon and I were with one another.

Personally I can't see what Jeff sees in her – sure I guess she was pretty in a way, she wasn't what you could call subtle; she was happy to rub it in Drea's face that she was with Jeff and they were all over one another whenever she was around and there was the whole fact that she was copying Drea's look down to even dying her hair the very same shade as Drea's. That in itself was a contradiction – from everything else that she did; it would seem that she hated her but then there was the way she turned up wearing cloths that Drea had been wearing the previous week. It was creepy by anyone's standards. Sometimes just catching the way that Phoebe looked at her – it weirded me out and I couldn't even begin to imagine what she was trying to accomplish.

When Drea had called to ask Brittany and me over to hang out and watch movies; I had no problem in saying yes; I didn't particularly want to spend the night watching the 2 of them slobbering all over one another and talking all mushy to each other. I was glad when Britt had said the exact same thing to Matt – at least I didn't feel like I was over reacting. Shannon had complained that he wanted to come and join the girl's night – which was when I knew that I definitely wasn't over reacting. Usually Shannon avoided these girls nights like they were the plague or like he was going to catch something as equally deadly.

"- I really don't know what we are going to do about her!" Britt said flopping down on to the sofa with a fresh bowl of popcorn.

"I'm pretty sure I know someone who could take her out!" Drea muttered dryly.

Britt and I shared a look then bust out laughing; Drea certainly had a way with words. I could understand her hatred of Phoebe but she needed to remember that this was still the beginning of a relationship and when it got out of the honeymoon period it was more than likely that Jeff would realize that she wasn't for him.

"What? I'm serious!" She dead panned. "Ok so I'm not but damn her – she is pushing my buttons; did I tell you what she said to me today?"

"No what was that?" Britt asked as Drea threw the cigarettes out to Britt and myself.

"I was ready to go for her there and then – she said to me; that she didn't understand why I had to encourage Jeff's weird side!"

"_What!?" _I exclaimed angrily.

If Phoebe didn't like Jeff's eccentric side then she didn't need to be with him; she should let him go and let him be with someone who embraced his uniqueness and that person was Drea; with out a seconds doubt. There had never been anyone who had been so comfortable around him and could match his sometimes unique ways of life; I had never truly understood the way that Jeff and Drea had refused to give in to the attraction they felt for one another.

It was crazy to see the way they pussy footed around each other – the hidden glances, the way they would stare at one another, the way they could sit and talk for hours – usually about things that none of us could understand – the way they supported one another through everything and the way they were completely honest with one another.

That was until Jeff had started dating Phoebe; Drea had retreated into herself. There was no confiding in Jeff anymore, there was no sign of them hanging out just the 2 of them, Drea wasn't being as supportive as she had been in the past with his girlfriends so at least we knew this time it wasn't just jealousy that was wrong with her.

"Yeah made me want to just slap that matching hair of hers right off the top of her fucking head!" Drea ranted and it was clear that this was just what she needed to do. "I mean seriously who the fuck does she think she is? She waltz's into his life and she causes fucking ripples through all his friendships with her snotty attitude; she's no fucking better than we are considering her Mother lives off welfare. What the hell does he really see in her?"

Brittany and I shared a look with one another again when it was more than clear that Drea was on a roll with her outburst – after spending 2 months of biting her tongue; I was proud of her restraint.

"I mean Jesus Christ if she had one original thought of her own; it would die a lonely fucking death! The way she dresses is exactly like I dress, her hair is the exact same way as mine, her make up fashion is the same as mine, her music tastes are the same as mine, she eats the same food as I do – I mean I'm not overreacting to this am I?" Drea asked grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the table.

I had to admit that I loved the way this house had been designed – it had been done the exact way that Jeff had explained to the contractors and even though he had yet to decorate; I knew that it would be as great as his last place before the fire. Jeff had, had it tough the past year and for the majority of it; he had leant on Drea the way she had leant on him through the loss of her husband. In many ways I guessed that they had both lost huge parts of their lives.

"Not at all – I have to admit that if it were me then I would be going crazy right about now!" I admitted.

Just like Drea; I was fiercely protective of the way I looked; I had my own style, and it had taken me awhile to figure that out considering the home life that I had, had. My Parent's had been devout Christian's; everything was about the church, I had to be dressed as a girl at all times, I had to remember my place and I had to mind my mouth; my opinion didn't matter for anything. And forget about picking out my own musical tastes; everything that I did and everything I listened too and watched had to be approved by them. I had actually believed everything they said until I met Shannon.

Hell, I hadn't even had a boyfriend before Shannon. I wasn't supposed to date until I was 21 years old but when I met Shannon I was about 17 years old and he taught me so much; it was like the real world was being opened up to me. Everything was so colourful as opposed to the darkness that I had been surrounded with or at least what I had thought that I was being surrounded with.

"I really am biting my tongue and I just don't know how much more I can do that for!" Drea stated.

From the minute I had met Drea – I had always admired the way that she had taken control of her life. When she was barely even 14 years old; she had known who she was and told her Parent's who didn't agree so she moved out to live with the Hardy's.

Unfortunately I had never had anyone like that around me; I didn't have anyone's houses to run to and hide out at. Hell I hadn't even known that there was anything wrong with the way that I was living until I had seen all my friends going through changes and then becoming their own people. My Parent's had hated it but when they encouraged me to get a part time job; that was when they began to lose their control over me.

I got a job at the local bowling alley and I started experiencing things that I hadn't even known existed. Up until that point in my life it had been like all these things were meant to be evil; teenagers hanging out and kissing and all that other teenage stuff had been forbidden by my Parent's and just because of the way I looked none of the boys in school wanted to come near me. Eventually I had become the manager at the bowling alley and that was where I met Shannon.

"I mean I see Jeff with her and I think to myself that he must see something in her so I try and I try but nothing comes to me; I see her sitting there with him looking all like me and I hear her listening to my CD's and I can't think what he sees in someone who just has no sense of who she really is you know?"

"Well think about it this way – its kind of a compliment!"

"How can you even say that?"

I could tell from the tone in her voice that she was insulted by what I had just said. One of the things that I liked about Drea was that she could go from perfectly calm and neutral to fierce and deadly in a matter of seconds.

"Well obviously Jeff looks at her and sees you there instead of her,"

"That's just sick!" Drea exclaimed shuddering from head to foot.

I had to admit that I would definitely be freaked out by having someone trying to take over my look and pretty much my identity. Phoebe had even started laughing at the things that Drea found funny, she had started trying to talk like her too. It was definitely creepy to say the least. The look and dress sense was one thing but then trying to actually sound like Drea was another.

What Shannon and I couldn't figure out was the fact that Jeff seemed ok enough to actually let the woman carry on with this obsessive behaviour. Everything that she did was a complete contradiction to the way she actually spoke to Drea.

I had even begun to think that maybe Phoebe was gay – or it would be bi-sexual; I guess. There was just a sign of desire in her eyes when she looked at Drea. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone because I didn't want it to become a joke like I knew the guys would make it. Drea didn't need that – she was tense enough about it all as it was. It made me mad to think that this woman was coming in to the group and beginning to cause tears when there never really ever had been in the past. These people were my Family now and I didn't want to lose another Family.

_**Brittany's POV;**_

I didn't know how Drea could keep her mouth shut after all of this was happening. To go from high school in to dating her best friend and still copying pretty much everything that she does; Phoebe was lucky to not have had her ass handed to her on a plate as of yet. Drea wasn't known for her patience; she did have a pretty long fuse but when it burnt out; you'd better stay out of her way.

"- you know I thought that I was done with all of this pathetic teenage crap when I walked out of those high school doors for the last time!" Drea exasperated as she lit up another cigarette.

Now I knew that it was serious because she always smoked like a sailor when it came to stress – it was like her very own coping mechanism. After all she had been through it was amazing to us that she was as centred as she was but then again I figured if she had stayed in the house that she had grown up in – then she would be half way to the nut barn by now.

Matt had explained to me what had really happened with Drea and why she had come to live with him, his brother and their Dad. The topic of conversation had been on my own Family and what had happened with us and Matt had been trying to make me feel better.

When I asked Drea about it – she sat down and told me it all. How her Parent's didn't want her to be wrestling. They had wanted her to stop hanging out with the guys and start doing girly things and hanging out with girls but even at 14 years old Drea knew who she was and what she wanted to do; so they had gotten in to a big fight and she left to live with the Hardy's.

My own home life hadn't been much better; me and my brother Randy had always been close – we were like best friends. I always wanted to travel and when Randy joined the WWE; he had asked me if I wanted to join him on the road as his PA. I had been way over the moon about it and accepted without even thinking about it. I hadn't needed to think about it. I got to hang out with my brother and I got to travel the world and best of all I would get paid for it; there really was nothing that I needed to think about. Everything was set; my contract had been written up and signed, tickets had been bought and paid for and the hotel rooms had been booked and paid for.

Then my Mother and Father found out about what I was planning on doing and they went completely ballistic. My Father had always been intent on getting me to go into the wrestling business in front of the screen and not behind where I wanted to stay. I had always been interested in the wrestling world but not in front of the camera – I just didn't want to get in the ring to fight. Eventually I had given up the screaming trying to get them to understand what I wanted from my life and just left. I haven't spoken to them since although we do manage to send messages to each other through Randy, which is much better than it used to be.

When I was on the road with Randy I had met Matt after a couple of weeks and at first we were both pretty shy around one another. I was shy because of how much older he was than me and how much more experience that he had to have and he was shy because of how much younger I was and the fact that Randy was my brother.

We could talk, we could laugh and we could just hang out and have fun with one another but the minute that romance was put on the table; we both shied away from one another and acted like teenagers being in love for the first time.

"I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. I do have to admit that Phoebe seems to be intent on making your life hell!"

I wasn't even sure if it was just me or if everyone else could see what I was seeing. It looked to me that Phoebe was attracted to Drea and then she would completely contradict that by talking down to her and trying to make her sound like she was stupid then there was the whole copying everything about her. None of it seemed to add up and I couldn't put my finger on it. I wanted to talk to Matt about it but I didn't even know how to approach the subject with him.

I knew that he thought it was stupid the way Drea and Jeff were skirting around the fact that they wanted each other as much as everyone else thought too. I hadn't been dealing with it for as long as Matt and Shannon had been though; I couldn't even imagine how frustrated they must feel. Maybe they had just learned to accept the fact that they were never going to get it together.

"Making my life hell would be a walk in the park -!" Drea admitted curling up in the sofa and reaching for the ashtray. "It's like I can't turn around but she's there; watching me – it's almost like she's studying me and I'm not afraid to say it but she freaks me the hell out!"

"Not to mention the fact that she is always all over Jeff!" Claire commented.

"Oh my God you have no idea – its so fucking tacky it's unbelievable! All she does is hang off Jeff – talking trash to him; about all the things that she wants to do to him, all the things that they have done and how much of a great lover she thinks he is and then there is all the stuff that she has – not so subtly – moved in to the house!"

"Honey I'm sorry -!" Claire and I both said at the same time.

"For what?"

"We just -!" Claire started looking at me.

"We just know how much you like Jeff and that you have been depending on him a lot over the past year – just like he has been depending on you," I was quick to add. "And to go from that to having to share him with this bimbette –!"

"Oh my God – is anyone else bothered by that voice? I mean I don't sound like that do I?" Drea asked.

It was kind of weird hearing Drea talking like this; she was always so self assured with herself. There never seemed to be anything about herself that she didn't believe in; but Matt said that she was good at hiding her feelings. After what she had been through with her Parent's she did question herself constantly but only to her Family.

Matt, Jeff and the Legend were her Family – and most people couldn't understand why she could look at Jeff as Family and still have feelings for him but it was just something that no one could understand at the best of times. Phoebe would have to get used to the fact that it didn't matter how long she was with Jeff or how much she thought he cared about her – Drea would always come first in Jeff's life.

Daniel had known it from the beginning; it was a hard cross to bear but he had known that Drea loved him, cared about him and wanted to be with him but Jeff was her first love and that would never change; it didn't matter that they hadn't been together and it didn't matter how much time passed; Drea and Jeff were going to end up together.

"No honey – you sound nothing like that at all!" Claire laughed before mimicking Phoebe's stupid high pitched voice. _"You know that I want to be just like you but I know deep down that I can never measure up!"_

Drea started laughing happily while the DVD continued to play on the TV – none of us were really bothering with it now that we had started talking. It was just something that we were used too; we'd have a girl's night with good intentions of watching movies but when we started talking that was it; everything else was ignored.

"Oh thank God I don't sound like that," Drea laughed as she turned on to her back and stared at the roof. "You know it's gonna be a nightmare being on the road with her for the next couple of days,"

"Tell me about it!" Claire and I agreed.

Matt had expressed that he thought the shit was going to hit the fan when we were on the road and Drea had no where else to go to escape it. I was worried that maybe if that happened; everyone would be torn in 2 different directions. The guys would be on Jeff's side and Claire and I would be on Drea's side.

"You know this is all Jeff's fault!" I said.

"Oh yeah that sounds good – but why?" Drea asked me.

"Well come on he knows that he loves you; he knows that you love him and yet instead of actually admitting how he feels; instead of putting himself out there to be vulnerable with you; he goes and meets this – _'thing' _– and pretty much makes everyone miserable!"

"Yeah well he's a man – we have to forgive that considering the fact that obviously little Jeff is making all his decisions – he's got so much going against him already!"

"You're too fair on him -!"

"Not at all! I know not to make the mistake of thinking that just because they walk upright and talk to us – they are of the same species! I am just saying that sometimes you gotta cut them some slack; the laws of reality go against them when they are ruled by their little brain!"

The 3 of us started cackling until we were fighting for air. It was definitely what we needed after all that had been happening. It felt good to have fun and laugh with one another again without the presence of our little shadow hanging over our shoulders.

"What y'all cackling like hens at?" Matt asked walking into the room with Shannon.

Instantly Drea was looking behind them; the dread marked her eyes for another second before Shannon spoke up.

"It's ok baby girl – Jeff and Phoebe decided to stay at the restaurant for a few drinks,"

"Oh thank God – I can't be dealing with her right now,"

Matt slid in to the space next to me and wrapped his arms tightly around me while Shannon lay out behind Claire who was spread out on the larger sofa and we all turned our attention towards the TV where The Lost Boys was playing on the screen. Claire and I had put this on because we knew that Drea was down and since it was her favourite film; we figured that she deserved something that she enjoyed to watch.

After about 20 minutes; Drea offered to make everyone hot chocolate. And we had all just settled in to watch the last of the movie when the front door shot open; Jeff and Phoebe came stumbling in to the room kissing and all over one another. My eyes shot to Drea quickly to see that she remained completely enthralled in the movie instead of giving Phoebe the attention that she was seeking with all the noises that she was making until she realized no one was looking and she pulled apart from Jeff.

"Oh we're sorry – we didn't realize that you'd all be here – we just get so hungry for one another you know?"

Jeff was watching Drea but she was refusing to pay attention at all as she continued to watch the movie. I guessed that Phoebe realized that she wasn't going to get the reaction that she was looking for so she threw herself in to Jeff's arms again and began to lead him out of the living room all the while both Jeff and she were trying to catch Drea's attention to no avail.

There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Jeff wasn't the only person who was interested in Drea – it seemed that his girlfriend was in to her too. And I just had to hope that it wouldn't cause the type of rip in the group as I feared that it would.

**_R/N - _Thank you guys so much for being patient and waiting for each new chapter to be delivered to you - you really are the best. You are what keeps me writing so please if you want some more please just let me know :D Love you guys to bits.**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	9. Chapter 9 Disaster!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 9__ – Disaster._**

_**Matt's POV;**_

I had been slightly disappointed when the girls had decided that they were going to stay at home instead of coming to the restaurant with us. I had definitely wanted them there so we didn't have to be surrounded and subjected to the fact that Phoebe was going to be on our case about how much she and Jeff were getting along. Shannon and I agreed that we weren't going to tell Drea about what it had been like at dinner. It definitely wasn't what she needed right now. I knew that she was struggling with the fact that Jeff seemed to be in a serious relationship.

Having known all along that Drea and Jeff had feelings for one another – it was always difficult on the other when one found a new partner. What I couldn't understand was the fact that they refused to even try to be a couple. I could understand that they were scared that it wouldn't work between them but what they failed to realize was that even if it didn't work; their friendship would still be there because they were so close as friends that nothing could come in between that. But there was really no talking to them.

What I had been trying to get through to Jeff was that if he continued to throw Phoebe in Drea's face then he was going to lose her altogether. Drea had already enquired about a room at my place; I would of course let her stay if it was what she really wanted but I wasn't going to make it easy because I knew that she and my brother were most definitely meant to be together. If I could help to make them see that they were made for one another – then I would do it; no matter how much they hated me for it.

From the minute that Phoebe had been introduced to us; I knew that it was going to cause problems. All night in the restaurant Phoebe had been hanging off Jeff's face; in fact she had been practically sat in his lap until she had been asked to restrain herself because the other customers were complaining. Shannon and I had hardly been over joyed at the sight of her literally groping my little brother while we ate. We had exchanged looks when she had kicked up a fuss about being out with her boyfriend and not having to face adversity because she wanted to be affectionate with her man. Affectionate would have been one thing but she had been practically mounting him in front of everyone. Just by that one thing; Shannon and I had seen that she had absolutely no class. Clearly Phoebe was trying to irritate Drea and trying to be like her at the same time; it was weird and something that Brittany and I had talked about a lot over the 2 months that they had been together. Then there was the fact that Phoebe had started harping on about how we were all catering to Drea's depression; how it was time that she got over the loss of her husband and that had been the exact moment that Shannon and I had gotten up and excused ourselves.

On the ride home – we had both talked about how disgusted we were at how Jeff hadn't even bothered to try and stick up for his best friend. I couldn't stop wondering what the hell was wrong with him because normally he would have been the first to step in and defend Drea. All I could come up with was that he was dumping his best friend for the chance of pussy and that pissed me off. That wasn't the way that he had been raised and he had never been that way before.

"Well that was a little inappropriate!" Shannon commented as he wrapped Claire up in to his arms.

Everything in our group was being ripped apart by this leech in our midst. I couldn't stand her and it wasn't like I hadn't tried. I had tried to find things in common with her, I had tried making her laugh and I had tried finding ways to get her to talk to me so that I could get to know her but everything I tried was stone walled by her. At least when Jeff introduced me to Drea; she had bonded with me quickly and we had slipped in to a jokey brother/sister relationship and she was now one of my favourite people.

"Inappropriate would be a fucking improvement!" Britt all but growled at me.

Jeff's bedroom door slammed shut and the house fell in to silence for a little while. We were all lost in our own thoughts. I was trying to figure out a way out of this situation. It didn't seem to matter what I came up with there was also something that would come to mind that would ruin the plan. All I wanted to do was get rid of that woman and everything could go back to the way it had been and possibly Jeff and Drea would finally get it together.

As I looked at Brittany I thought about what it had taken for me and her to get together. We had been like Drea and Jeff for so long that making the transition to lovers as well as friends had been hard but we had gotten there because I truly believed that we belonged together. Brittany was my life and the more I thought about it – the more I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. It had been hard in the beginning because her brother Randy had been adamant that we weren't to be together because of the age difference but when Britt had refused to back down he finally came around to the idea and now we were pretty good friends.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Drea asked not removing her eyes from the TV and trying to remain passive when the noises started coming from the bedroom. "Fuck – she can't even shut the hell up when she's having sex -!"

"You're not a screamer huh?" Shannon chuckled as he rested his head on top of Claire's.

"Awe Shazzanon you don't want to know about my sex life – you'd be shocked at what I do!" Drea winked at him before laughing at the shock on Shannon's face.

"Eeewwweeee that's like imagining what my little sister does in bed!" Shannon complained.

"Well you shouldn't have asked Reject!" Drea laughed reaching for her cigarettes, which she always did when she was stressed.

Shannon started making noises before he finally started laughing himself. It was moments like this that I loved; with how hectic our lives were with the WWE; it was simple moments like this that I loved more than anything. My Family and friends meant more than anything to me. We always made the trips together once every so often; it was always when the girls had time off at the same time although sometimes we would take one of the girls with us just to spend some time alone.

"So what time are we leaving?" Drea asked refusing to even look in the direction of where the noises were coming from but I could tell from her face that she was upset by it. Phoebe certainly had gotten the desired effect that she had been looking for when she walked in here stuck to the face of Jeff.

"Well we have to be at the airport for 7am," I informed her.

"I really don't know how you guys do it considering the hours that you keep!" Drea commented.

We definitely didn't have much time off but when we were – there was more things going on at home. Late night rubbish burning, drinking games that could go on forever, spontanetious late night junk food calls and parties that we would have at the last minute. Working in the WWE definitely afforded us to live very comfortably – we could do as we pleased, woke whenever we wanted, go to bed without the worry of getting up too early very often.

"We're gifted!" Shannon laughed.

"Specially gifted!" Drea retorted and laughed when Shannon looked comically upset by the insult.

I loved times like this – just simple nights where we could chill out without being around the public and laugh about the things that we found funny without having to remember that we still represented the company while we were trying to have fun. I guessed that was why I kept my friends as close as I did.

"You know what?" Drea said jumping up to her feet.

"What?" Brittany asked as the credits to Drea's favourite movie started to roll up.

"I am hungry – who wants to go to the truck stop and grab something to eat?"

"Hell yeah – it's better than listening to this shit!" Claire announced jumping up and sticking her feet in to her shoes; eagerly ready to get out of the house. "Guys? Are you coming or are you full from your meal?"

"Full? Fat fucking chance – we left before we could even finish!" Shannon informed his girlfriend.

We all headed quickly out of the house and in to Drea's SUV that she used for her work. Being a mobile beautician meant that she had to have enough space in her car to carry everything that she could need in one day – massage table, pots of wax, hair accessories and dye charts. We were all proud of each other and we were just as proud of Drea as we were of the rest of us – we had been worried that somehow after she lost Daniel that she wouldn't want to get back to work but she had surprised us all.

"Was it really that bad?" Claire asked as Drea started the engine.

"It was – let's just say – it was an experience!"

For the rest of the ride we were silent with only the sound of the Hell Yeah album that Drea had purchased lately. Drea had a very eclectic taste in music; anything from Johnny Cash to Slipknot. Depending on her frame of mind – it managed to initiate what she wanted to listen too and clearly she wasn't in a very peaceful mood as she turned up the music until the interior of the car seemed to be thumping with the load base and drums from the music.

Suddenly I had the feeling that this time away was going to end up being a complete disaster. Deep down I knew that this moment here – was definitely the calm before the storm.

_**20 minutes later; Sally's Truck Shop;**_

_**Shannon's POV;**_

Sitting down at the table – I was more than glad that we had decided to leave Jeff's for a while because Phoebe was seriously grating on my last fucking nerve. I had never taken such an intense disliking to one of Jeff's girlfriends in the past – they were usually so sweet and friendly but this girl was nothing at all like that. In the restaurant she had been loud and morose not to mention obnoxious. There had been absolutely no need for her to try and make everyone notice that she was with Jeff – it wasn't like we were hard to miss. 3 huge guys sitting at a table with an abundance of food was definitely hard to ignore. We were used to being looked at but I had never felt like I was in a fish bowl before.

I really couldn't see what Jeff saw in her – she was no where near Drea's league. I just couldn't understand why the 2 of them hadn't gotten it together yet.

This whole 'we don't want to ruin our friendship' crap was a bunch of bull that I had called them on several times but it never seemed to penetrate so all we really could do was sit around and wait for them to come to the decision themselves. But with Phoebe around; that was unlikely to happen any time soon.

"Let's play the song game?" Matt suggested before taking a huge bite out of his hamburger.

"Ok whose starting?" I asked while Drea took a seat at the end of the table.

"Well since she's the last one to sit down; I say Drea!" Matt decided and everyone quickly agreed.

"Typical!" Drea muttered taking a sip at her milkshake. "Always!"

"Oh shock horror – she named a Bon Jovi song!" I chorused along with Claire and Britt.

"Aaahhh shut up and pick the next song!" Drea admitted smiling.

The rules of the game were that you went around the group in a circle and name a song in order of the alphabet. Usually we managed to get to around U and we'd get stuck. Drea always used a Bon Jovi song somewhere in the game if she could get it in there since she was a huge Jovi fan and had been for years. There was no purpose to the game other than to pass the time. Clearly Matt was just trying to make sure that Drea didn't think about what she was obviously going to have to face when she got home.

From the conversations that Claire and I had about Phoebe; I knew that my wife was freaked out by this woman. I had to admit that she did come across as a little 'Single White Female'. It was weird the way that she tried to make Drea look stupid with everything that she said, it was freaky the way she had altered her entire appearance to be exactly like Drea and the way that she looked at Drea. I couldn't believe that this was happening to us – in all the years that we had been a Family; nothing had threatened our happiness this way ever.

"Better Days!" Brittany announced before looking to Matt who was clearly next.

"Can't Stop Loving You!" Matt said before looking to me.

"Don't!" I replied then looked to Claire as I bit in to my own burger.

"Endless Love!" Claire smiled at me.

My wife, the one woman who I loved more than I had ever loved anyone and the one woman that I could be completely comfortable around. It had been scary at first when she seemed to be happy to be around the real me and that was a huge turn on. Sure I was the reject and I was out there – no more than Jeff was – but I was still out there at times. I liked who I was and I was comfortable in my own skin.

When I had first met her – I had seen something in her that made me feel alive. Just watching her working in the bowling alley; I felt like there was something incredibly special about her and I never wanted to feel any other way about her; she was my everything.

After hearing the way her Parent's had made her live her life up until that point, I was mad as hell. How dare they take someone like her and lock her away from the real world. No one had the right to do that with anyone; no matter who they thought they were. It took me a long time to make her see that things weren't a sin just because she enjoyed doing them. Drea had helped a lot with her and getting her to see that just because the church said something was a sin; didn't mean that it was and she proceeded to explain that the bible was just a bunch of hypocritical statements.

That had been when we found out that Drea's Parent's had been religious freaks too and when Drea had expressed what she wanted to do with her life – her Parent's had pretty much gone in to a melt down about her committing so many sins that there would be no help for her.

"Guys?" Drea asked shyly.

"Yeah honey what's up?" Matt asked.

"Please don't leave me alone when we're away -!"

"We would never do that to you honey," Claire replied reaching for her hand at the same time as Brittany reached for her other hand.

"I just can't stand the thought of having to be around those 2 when they are still in that phase where they can't keep their hands off each other you know?"

"We won't leave you alone!" Matt reassured her.

"Well I was thinking about not going and -!"

"No way! We're not accepting that," I shook my head fiercely at just the suggestion of her not coming with us. "We always do this together – and it wouldn't be the same without you here,"

Looking around the table – it was obvious that everyone thought the same way. At least we were all in agreement about how much we hated Phoebe. Matt and I watched the girls head out to the bathroom.

"So what do you really think about Phoebe?" I asked Matt.

"I can't stand her – no wait; that's not right – I hate her!" Matt replied. "You?"

"Same,"

"What are we going to do about this?"

"There doesn't seem to be a lot that we can do," I observed.

I didn't know what we were thinking about doing but nothing seemed like it could be done. Jeff was clearly in to this girl and we all knew that stepping in between them would just cause Jeff to be mad at us. I didn't know how we could get rid of the girl either other than maybe trying to set Drea on to her.

The thought of that had the smile on my face instantly and I couldn't help but laugh at the images of Drea laying in to her invaded my thoughts. Drea was fierce – she had a mean temper on her and it didn't take a lot for her to get going once her long fuse was lit. The girl had the longest patience in the world but when that fuse was sparked; she couldn't stop herself.

"Yeah well that was what I was thinking too but I can't stand to hear that tone in Drea's voice anymore – it's killing me and if Jeff wants to think more about his own needs than he wants to think about Drea's needs then its up to us to step up and take care of her,"

"I know that man, I just don't know what we could do,"

"We'll think and hopefully be able to come up with an idea while we're away – all I know is that I have this deep niggling that the shit is gonna hit the fan when we're away!" Matt stated.

Well at least I knew that I wasn't alone in my feeling now. I knew that Matt felt the same thing; I felt better equipped to handle anything that might arise when we were away. Drea was getting close to losing her temper – that was obvious when she started asking us to look out for her etc, so when she had asked us not to leave her alone meant that she was scared of what she would do when she did erupt.

Tonight had been a disaster but at least we were now in the kind of company that we had wanted to have all night. I had my girl by my side, Matt had his girl by his side and we were trying to keep Drea laughing and not thinking about Jeff and Phoebe.

"You know – Drea told Britt that she knew Phoebe from school,"

"She did? Why didn't they act like they knew one another?" I asked.

"Something about Phoebe trying to become Drea – everything Drea did; Phoebe would copy -!"

"Well I guess it doesn't look like much has changed,"

If I hadn't been freaked out before – I certainly was now. Just the thought of Phoebe being back in Drea's life and carrying on with what she had started in school. Maybe this situation was going to get a lot worse before it was going to get better. I guess that we were going to have to be more cautious when it came to Drea; I didn't want her to get into something that would end up causing her more pain than anything else that Phoebe could conjure up with Jeff.

"Maybe we should tell Jeff?" I suggested.

"You really think that he will listen?"

"I guess you're right,"

Once Jeff made up his mind about someone or something that was usually it – there was no changing his mind but I had to wonder how far he would be willing to take Phoebe's side for – if it was something that would hurt Drea; surely there was still some of his feelings deep inside him that would make him instantly protect his best friend. After all he and Drea had been through – after all that they meant to one another; I had to believe that it wasn't lost just because of some passing fling that Jeff was having.

I didn't even want to entertain the thought that this was something more than a fling because the thought of that woman being in our lives forever made my stomach curl and it would hurt everyone cos eventually Drea would snap and that would mean a rip so deep in our friendships that it wouldn't be able to recover even if Phoebe left.

"Trust me though – we will figure something out!" Matt announced.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys so much for reading and taking the time to comment and review; you make writing definitely worthwhile; thank you and you know what to do if you want more :D Love you guys.**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	10. Chapter 10 Somethings Wrong!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 10__ – Something's Wrong!_**

**_Later that__ morning; 5am;_**

_**Drea's POV;**_

God I hated having to get up at this time – which was what we always did when we went on the road with the guys. At least when we got to our destination and the hotel; we'd crash for a couple more hours. I was always one to sleep – I love my sleep and the life that I led was always one that afforded me to sleep late. Hanging out with the boys we'd be awake until around 4 in the morning and then we'd sleep until noon if not later depending on the work that I had that day.

Luckily while I was on the road – I only had to worry about Jeff and Matt's hair, I had Shannon's to worry about when he was working for the WWE too but now that he didn't; Shannon wanted me to do it anyway. My little reject was adorable when he wanted to be. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

As I lay here staring at the ceiling; I was always bad at getting up in the morning especially when I had only had 2 hours sleep. We had gotten back from Sally's truck stop around 2.30 and by the time I had a quick shower and stuff it was closer to 3am. Then the worst thing had been lying here and trying to sleep over the sounds of Jeff and his bimbette – I refused to even acknowledge her name anymore – had been louder than a pair of lions having it off. Groans, moans, grunts and growls had emitted throughout the whole house so it didn't particularly matter where I went in the house; I couldn't escape it. I really couldn't live here if this was going to be a recurring thing with them. It was like living in my worst nightmare – all I knew was that I hadn't thought that Jeff could be so cruel.

I had never once made Jeff listen to Daniel and me when we had sex; I had ensured that I either remained quiet or we didn't do it. I wasn't that cruel; maybe this was payback though. Maybe I never should have married Daniel. Maybe I shouldn't have leant on Jeff so much.

Why did my life seem to be all about maybe's now?

Pulling out the earphones to my IPod, which I had stuck in around half an hour ago, I felt calm as I realized the noises had stopped thankfully. Swinging my legs out of the bed, I picked up the photo of Daniel and me; that I had placed on the nightstand and ran my finger over my husbands face.

Why did he have to die?

Why did I have to be left here alone?

Why couldn't he have fought harder?

This was how it always started – I would start by wondering why he had to die then it would progress to me blaming him for not fighting harder to stay. I didn't understand how he could have left me behind. I thought that he loved me and I thought that he would have tried harder to stay with me; Jeff said that I was in the anger stage of grief. I didn't really know either way; all I knew was that I was left here to face this world without my husband and I couldn't help but feel slightly resentful towards Daniel. Before I even knew what was happening – the tears were slipping from my eyes and onto the glass covering the photo.

Of course I still loved him and I needed him more than ever right now. I knew I was being selfish and I knew that I had no right to have anyone by my side through this thing with Phoebe but I needed my husband more than I ever had.

Daniel was dead!

There was no way that he was coming back!

I just had to find a way to deal with this alone. Getting up from the bed, I moved to the closet and slid the door open. I had packed my bags yesterday so I was all ready to make a move when the time came – but right now I wanted the only piece of clothing of my husband's that I had kept. One of his army shirts that I had accidently spilt some bleach on near the hem. I hadn't washed it since Daniel had died and I had kept his aftershave just so that I could feel like he was close just by the scent that I called his signature smell.

Who knew that when I got married 3 years ago; that I would be sat here at the age of 30 a widower?

Definitely not me; I had thought for sure that – when I had said that I would love Daniel until death parted us – I wouldn't be saying goodbye in such a short period of time. I figured death to be something that wouldn't come until we were old.

I was becoming frantic as I couldn't find Daniel's shirt – I had been sure that I had hung it up yesterday. It was the first thing that I had hung up but now as I tore a frantic path through the closet; I couldn't find it anywhere. I wanted my shirt; I needed to feel close to my husband to get through these next couple of days. I didn't think that I could handle being around Phoebe as she literally slithered all over my best friend.

Tearing a path out into the main hallway, I headed straight for the laundry room to see if maybe Jeff had put the shirt into be washed. I would tear this house up if I had too.

"Hey what you doing baby girl?" Jeff asked suddenly appearing behind me.

"Did you put Daniel's shirt in to the wash?" I asked pulling piles of cloths from the laundry bin out and scattering them all over the floor.

"What? No – didn't you hang that up yesterday?" He asked watching my melt down.

As soon as I nodded; my best friend was on his knees next to me and gently restraining me from creating more mess. My body caved in to him as the tears started again. I hated all this grieving; all I wanted was to get past the loss already or at least find a way to deal with it properly. I know that Jeff wanted me to see a doctor but my point of view was to just work through it alone. I knew that it would take time and to think that I would get through this in a matter of months was not only stupid but it was naïve too.

"It's ok baby girl, it will all be ok! We'll find the shirt,"

"I have looked everywhere Jeff and it's no where in sight!" I sobbed clinging to his arm tightly.

After we had sat there for a few moments; Jeff gently cradled me in his embrace and got to his feet. Gently laying me down on the sofa in the front room; he kissed the top of my head and made his way to the kitchen to make me some coffee. I was glad that he was still there for me, I was glad that he was still my best friend even though I didn't feel like I deserved it considering I now knew how he must have felt when I was with Daniel and blissfully happy. Now that I was thinking about it I guessed that Karma was having its way with me finally.

It wasn't that I wasn't happy for Jeff and it wasn't pure jealousy either – because I had pretty much always gotten along with the women that Jeff chose to spend his time with. Phoebe was in a complete league of her own and there was nothing I could do about that; I wanted to try but every time I did try I was just reminded of how this woman made my life hell in school and now she seemed intent on doing that again now.

"How'd you sleep babe?" Jeff asked when he eventually came back in to the front room carrying the 2 mugs of coffee.

"I would have slept better if the vagina monologues weren't going on in the room next door," I winked at him.

"Awe I'm sorry sugar," He replied blushing heavily.

It really wasn't very often that Jeff got embarrassed – mainly because he was a very confident man who was comfortable with who he was and I loved that about him but to see him so shy and almost humble was what made my heart hammer desperately in my chest.

"Don't worry handsome," I winked. "I understand – it's a new relationship and y'all can't get enough of each other!"

'_I just don't appreciate your bimbette rubbing it in my face!' _I wanted to add but decided against it; there was no need to cause an argument over something that clearly wasn't going to change things.

Jeff had made his choice and Phoebe was it. I didn't have to understand what he saw in her and I didn't have to understand what they shared with one another, all that was required of me was to be happy because my best friend was happy.

"I wouldn't say that it was that -!"

"What?" I asked as he took the space next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't know to be honest – I mean I like her a lot and I like spending time with her but she; its just like sometimes she tries way too hard you know?"

Ok so things weren't as great with them as I had thought or as well as Phoebe wanted people to believe and I don't know why that gave me a sliver of hope but it did and I couldn't stop the smile from creeping to my face. At least Jeff couldn't see as my head was resting against that perfect spot between his shoulder and neck. I swore on my life that Jeff gave the best hugs ever and I always felt better after being hugged so tightly by him.

"Have you tried talking to her about that?" I asked trying to keep my voice even.

I can't believe that I was sat here giving him advice on his current relationship especially when it was with someone that I detested more than I had ever hated anyone. Hate was definitely a strong word for me because I always tried to see the best in people but there just was nothing with Phoebe that I could find. I hated myself for that because obviously Jeff liked her and I should try at the very least to get to know her.

"No – I just think that she needs time to get used to being a part of the Family you know?"

"That's what you want huh?"

"I do and I wish that you'd all give her a chance; she is really sweet when you get to know her,"

"Mmhmmm!" I muttered as I sipped at my coffee. I didn't want to get in to a fight with Jeff over this. That seemed to be exactly what Phoebe wanted to happen and I wasn't about to play into her hands. "I will try!"

"You promise?" He asked hopefully.

Pulling back and looking in to those eyes that always managed to capture me and make me feel like I was drowning. Eyes were a huge weakness for me and if someone had beautiful eyes I was a complete sucker for them in the end. Jeff's eyes were definitely as unique as he was as a person. I had never seen anyone with such hypnotic green eyes that seemed to change shade with every mood that he felt.

How could I ever deny this man?

I couldn't continue to make him feel like he was being put in the middle and having to choose between his new girlfriend and his old friends. That most definitely wasn't the way friends were supposed to treat each other. God knows I had sulked enough – I mean it had been 2 months since he had introduced us to her; it certainly hadn't taken Jeff 2 months to get used to Daniel.

I owed him the benefit of the doubt; if he thought that she was worth spending his time with, if he thought that she was a sweet girl then I had no right to second guess his decision. I just had to find a way to deal with her. Suddenly I felt weak because I knew that there was no way that I could stomach the girl for more than short periods of time in one go. But at least he wouldn't be able to complain about me not trying to get along with her.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

There was no denying that it bothered me to see the way my friends and Family were snubbing Phoebe when I had made it clear that it was definitely her that I wanted to be with. It had been more than 2 months after all and I had made it more than obvious that I didn't expect her to go anywhere.

Last night at the restaurant had been the very last straw for me. Phoebe had expressed her thoughts on Drea – and even though I didn't agree with them – my friends hadn't needed to go off on her the way they had.

Phoebe had thought that it was time that Drea started to get over the loss of her husband; Matt had about jumped down her throat after she had said it. I had never heard my brother be so deliberately cruel in his choice of words but he had told her to mind her own business that she had absolutely no idea what she was talking about and therefore her opinion meant absolutely nothing. I had tried jumping in to defend Phoebe but Matt had reminded me that Drea was my best friend and that I had seen what she was going through and that it would do me good to remember that. I knew that it had been hard for Phoebe coming in to the group at this time when everyone was still so fragile after all that Drea had faced but I had thought that they would at least try and make her feel welcome.

Phoebe had tried to stick up for herself saying that she just thought that it wasn't doing Drea any good to mope around when it had been a year already. It was at that point Shannon had his say – Phoebe had no right in commenting on something that she knew nothing about, she hadn't even been around when it had all happened and he advised her that it would be a good idea that she kept her poisonous thoughts to herself. I had thought that was way too harsh but before I could even call him on it; he and Matt had gotten up and walked out.

Of course I knew what Drea was going through – and I knew that it wasn't something that could just be pushed through; she had to work her way through it at her own pace otherwise she would never truly get through it and she'd never be able to move forward with her life. I definitely didn't want that for her – she deserved peace and she deserved to be able to move on with her life.

But the way Matt and Shannon had attacked Phoebe for her point of view had been so far out of line that the line had been a dot to them. I had been mad as hell and then when Phoebe cried on my shoulder about all that she wanted was for my Family to accept her – I felt more guilty than I had ever thought possible. I knew that my friends were following Drea's lead and it seemed to me that my best friend didn't like my girlfriend and she had voiced those opinions to the others and they were just supporting her. If they would just give Phoebe a chance I knew that they would love her – she was a good girl and I did enjoy spending time with her for the most part.

"Since when have I ever said that I would do something and then not followed through?" Drea asked pulling back and looking at me.

"True!" I smiled pulling her back to me. "Thank you babe – that means more than I can even begin to express,"

"Well I guess that I owe you -!"

"For what?"

"You accepted Daniel without question and I do trust your judgment so I guess I can give her a shot!"

If Drea was anything – it was fair and I knew that she would do her very best to accept Phoebe if she said that she was going too. It was one of the reasons that I loved her as much as I did; there had never been one time that she had questioned the decisions that I had made.

Of course I was still in love with my best friend; I didn't think that I would ever get past that feeling but I had learned how to cope. After watching her with Daniel; seeing the way that she was in love with him and how affectionate she could be – I had never wanted her more but I couldn't have her. I had made the decision that we wouldn't risk losing our friendship and I now had to live with that decision. It didn't mean that I had to like it but I did definitely have to respect the fact that Drea had agreed to it and seemed to want to stick to it.

For all I knew she didn't even feel that way about me anymore – I could have completely blown the one good thing that I had in my love life.

"You know that means the world to me right?"

"I do big bear!" She smiled resting in to my hold and just remaining there.

"Hey what's wrong?" I asked feeling the way her body was moving as she silently cried in to my shirt that was quickly becoming soaked through.

"I just miss him is all,"

"I know you do sugar and I know that he is going to be around watching you – he loved you so much that I don't even think death would keep him away from you,"

I definitely wasn't lying about that – seeing the way he looked at her, the way he supported her and the way he was always there for her whenever she needed someone that wasn't me had won me over. Seeing the love he had for her on a daily basis had definitely converted me in to believing that if I couldn't have her as my girl then there was no one better for her. All I had ever wanted for her was for her to be happy and loved as much as she deserved to be loved. Considering what she had come from; it was important that she had someone by her side who understood why she was so independent and stubborn; not many people could understand the way she was and what had moulded her in to that person; Daniel had been one of the very few who did get it.

"Thanks babe," Drea replied hugging me a little tighter.

It didn't matter to me how hard she wanted to hug me – I had never felt this close to her and this moment was one that I would never change for all the money in the world. I had my best friend back and I had a girlfriend that I was slowly growing to like more and more; hopefully I would have my Family back soon too and everything would be perfect.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked moving in to the room wearing nothing but the shirt that I had been wearing the previous night.

"Drea and I were just having a chat!" I replied kissing the top of my best friend's head who began wiping at her eyes.

"Morning Phoebe!" Drea said sitting up and reaching for her mug of coffee.

"Morn – uhm; morning!" Phoebe was clearly taken aback by the attitude that she was presented with.

"Can I get you a mug of coffee?" Drea asked.

"Uhm yes please – that would be great!" Phoebe admitted obviously stunned by the way she was being received this morning.

I knew that she had been worried that Matt and Shannon would have come and told Drea what had been said about her last night but what Phoebe didn't realize was that Matt and Shannon protected Drea as if she were their sister and that usually meant fighting her battles for her without actually telling her what was going on. I don't know why they felt the need to actually do it that way because if anyone knew that Drea was more than capable of fighting her own battles it was Matt and Shannon.

Growing up around guys had definitely done her well; she was feisty and she was sure of herself to the point where she was sexily confident about whom she was and her abilities; that was definitely a part of what had attracted me to her in the first place.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked taking the same spot that Drea had just been in.

I don't know why but all of a sudden I was aware of the fact that Phoebe didn't fit next to me as perfectly as Drea did. I could have slapped myself; I needed to stop thinking like that – it wasn't doing me any good and it wasn't fair to Phoebe.

"Drea and I just had a nice long talk and she's going to try and make more of an effort to get along with you,"

"So does that mean the others will be nice to me now too?"

"I would definitely assume so,"

It was definitely hard going being with someone who my Family didn't really get along with very well. It made hanging out with them altogether harder than I had ever assumed that it could. I had been so used to having their support that it never occurred to me that I would never have it to rely on. So I had never even learned how to cope with out them.

However now that Drea had agreed that she would give it her best shot meant that maybe things would get back to the way they were meant to be. I wanted Phoebe to be a part of my Family and I wanted them to actually like her – that was the most important thing to me. Otherwise I knew that no matter how hard I tried to make it work; it would eventually end up breaking either me and Phoebe or me and my Family. Neither thought was particularly delightful so I just hoped that we could make this work for the better.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys so much for the reviews and comments; it truly means the world to me! You guys really are the best and you make writing much more worthwhile so THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. If you want more; you know what to do :D**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	11. Chapter 11 If you can't have the one

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 11__ – If you can't have the one you want…_**

_**Later that Night;**_

_**Mexico City; La Nueva Opera;**_

_**Brittany's POV;**_

The flight out here had been long enough that when we arrived at the hotel; we had all ended up just crashing for a few hours. Early mornings weren't something that any of us did very often. Our lives were so hectic that we were lucky if we rolled in to bed before 4am; which was exactly what had happened last night when we had gone to Sally's Truck Stop. None of us really wanted to let Drea head home to a house where she had to listen to the man that she was in love with; making love to another woman.

Deep down I was worried about what – living in the same house as Jeff – was going to do to her. After all she had faced in the past year; she didn't need to have her face rubbed in the fact that the one man she had always wanted; was with someone else.

I knew that Matt was worried about Drea too – hell we were all worried about her and after what my man told me; Phoebe said about my friend last night – it would take all of my patience and self restraint; not to mention Matt, Shannon and Jeff, to hold me off that two faced little bitch.

What right did she have to pass judgments on what Drea was going through?

She hadn't been around when Drea lost her husband; she most certainly hadn't been around when Drea lost her baby. It truly made my blood boil in my veins at the thought of her talking about something that she truly didn't have the right to talk about. I wanted to shout at Jeff, I wanted to knock the head off Phoebe's shoulders and I wanted to do it now before I had to watch Drea be nice to Phoebe anymore.

From the minute that we had all met up at the airport in Raleigh this morning; it had amazed not only me; but everyone else had about dropped their jaws on the floor. Phoebe and Drea were sat talking over a steaming paper cup of coffee and they were actually laughing. The scene had struck me as somewhat crazy – from the way Drea hated the girl; it wasn't too hard to see the disgusted look in my friend's eyes.

Once we got on the plane and seated; Matt had moved so that he was next to Jeff and Phoebe just so Drea could sit next to me; Claire joined us after a few more shots at musical chairs and we talked about what the hell Drea thought she was doing. Claire was clearly as shocked as I had been when we stumbled in to a scene that would have most definitely fit in to The Stepford Wives movie. After our talk the previous night in the truck stop restaurant; it had amazed us all but at least we had come to the conclusion that Phoebe was not to be trusted and she was never to be left alone with Drea.

Matt and I had talked some more about it when we finally got home – neither of us thought that it was a good idea to try and sleep because if we did then there would have been absolutely no way that we would have made our flight this morning. So we had made coffee and just sat outside in the calmness that surrounded our home and discussed what Jeff thought he was doing. We couldn't understand what he saw in Phoebe – at best – she was a poor imitation of Drea. Matt made the comment that maybe that was why Jeff was with her; because he was reminded of Drea. I didn't know if that scared me more than what I thought about what Phoebe was trying to accomplish by dating Jeff.

Drea had admitted that she was trying to make sure that Jeff was happy and if that meant trying to get along with Phoebe then she would give it a shot. She was determined to keep Jeff as her best friend and she had the feeling that Phoebe was trying to come in between them. I had to admit that was definitely on the girl's agenda.

"- can't you just introduce me to her?" My brother Randy nudged me while he stared across the roof terrace bar to where Drea was stood with Chris Jericho looking out over the city of Mexico.

"Since when did the great Randy Orton have trouble talking to women?" I sniggered as Matt held his lit lighter out in front of me to light my cigarette.

"Hey!" My brother growled as Matt chuckled low in his throat.

My brother never had any problems with women – I had once seen him just smile at a woman and he spent the rest of the weekend in her bed. Matt said that he was a male whore and I had to agree with that; but seeing him actually nervous about talking to Drea was something that I never thought that I would see.

"Come on sis – just take me over there and introduce us!" He complained in his needy voice that always managed to get me to do whatever he wanted.

Looking over to where Drea was talking with Chris and seeing her stealing glances at Jeff who was wrapped up in Phoebe and wasn't even aware of the fact that his best friend was still in love with him. Maybe introducing Drea to my brother would be a good thing; just maybe it would help take her mind away from Jeff and Phoebe for a while.

Randy was a good guy – despite his reputation. And I wasn't just saying that because he's my brother. I truly believed that he was a good guy who always made sure that he was honest and up front with the women in his life. When he liked a woman – whether it was for one night or more – he was polite, he was a gentleman who opened doors, pulled out chairs and paid for everything. I most definitely knew that our Parent's had brought us up well – even if they had ended up disappointing me later in life.

"Jesus Christ – you're not going to leave me in peace until I do it right?"

"Nope!"

"Come on then. Matt you coming baby?" I asked running my hand down the side of Matt's face. The feel of him shivering under my touch was more than enough to leave me disorientated long enough that Randy eventually nudged me and Matt was across the room interrupting Jeff and Phoebe.

"He said that he was gonna talk to Jeff," Randy informed me.

It had been a real long time since Randy and I had talked – it had been so long since I had actually been on the road with my man that I had forgotten about how much I enjoyed travelling.

"How are you and lover boy doing anyway?" My brother asked.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked staring up at him.

"Well is there no word of marriage yet?"

"Oh come on – don't you start too! You know my feeling on marriage; if it's meant to be it will happen; if not then it won't. I am in absolutely no rush and you know this!"

I knew that my brother was just looking out for me but he knew me better than anyone ever had before and he knew that I had never felt the need to get married in the past but I did know if there was one person in the world who could get me to change my mind it was Matt. I guess that marriage had never held much lure for me because I had always been such a free spirit that it had taken a lot for me to settle down with just one man.

Besides Matt and I had never even talked about marriage; we hadn't even talked about living together – it had just sort of happened. I had stayed over one night and I just hadn't left except for going to my own place to pick up a few bits and pieces now and again.

"Well just as long as he is treating you right!"

"He really is Randy; I couldn't have asked for a better man. I love him as much as I ever have,"

Sometimes it was hard for me to talk intimately with people about my feelings because I was always so free spirited – I didn't really stick around long enough to form tight bonds but that is exactly what had happened when I met Matt. Our friendship had led the way to us making a really close couple because we knew that we could talk to one another about anything and everything.

"Ok are you ready for this?"

"Absolutely!" He replied breathing on to his hand so that he could check his breath wasn't too smelly.

I couldn't stop smiling – it wasn't something that you would expect of the super confident and cocky Randy Orton who always came across as someone who didn't have any problems with facing anything. Having heard some women say that they were surprised at how much he was different to the man he portrayed on TV was not an unusual scene.

"Hey guys," I smiled stepping up next to Chris Jericho which ensured that my brother had to stand next to Drea who smiled at me happily.

Drea and Chris had always had a good friendship with one another – especially when Jeff and Chris were pretty tight. I still remember the night that we were in Wisconsin and the snow had been falling all night until we were snowed in and the guys started stripping down to their boxers and started doing Swanton bombs out of the window to the suite rooms. Sometimes Chris would come out to Cameron and he'd spend the majority of his time with Jeff and Drea.

"Hey babe," Drea smiled as she didn't even try to move away from my brother.

I couldn't believe that I had been dating Matt for this long and Drea hadn't met my brother. I had never thought that Drea was Randy's perfect match; they were 2 completely different people but now that I looked at them, I was sure that just maybe opposites attract.

"You having a good night?"

"Absolutely! Drea I wanted to introduce you to my brother Randy!" I said.

From the minute that they shook hands it was like no one else existed; they slipped in to a conversation easily and started laughing with one another. It was actually good to see my friend smiling sincerely for the first time since Jeff had introduced us to Phoebe. Maybe Randy could be good for her; just maybe he could make her see that there was more to her life than just Jeff because as much as we thought that she and Jeff belonged together; that didn't mean that it would actually happen.

"Wow talk about being pushed aside," Chris chuckled as we both moved away from Randy and Drea.

"Tell me about it," I laughed as we made our way to the bar. "So how've you been big man?"

"Not bad sugar; what about you?"

"Yeah I've been great! I have to say I loved the heel turn you had,"

"Awe thanks sweetness," Chris smiled as he nodded his head in the direction of Phoebe who was sat at a small table while Jeff and Matt talked privately. "So who is the Drea knock off?"

"Oh you see that too?"

"Absolutely! All that's missing is the smile and pretty much every other amazing trait that Drea has – let's just say she looks like a very poor imitation!"

"Yeah try telling Jeffro that!" I giggled shaking my head. "Phoebe is Jeff's new girlfriend," I informed him when he gave me a quizzical look.

For the next hour I explained to Chris what was going on in his friend's life. I knew that he could hardly believe that Jeff would be stupid enough to find someone who looked like the one girl that he wanted and then when he heard about how Phoebe and Drea knew each other from school and he had agreed with Matt and Shannon about ensuring that Drea was never alone because there was something weird about the way the girl was watching Drea laughing with my brother.

_**Phoebe's POV;**_

Watching her across the roof of the terrace bar; I couldn't believe how obvious she was being as she touched Randy Orton's arm and laughed at whatever it was that he was saying to her. It was definitely clear that Randy was in to her; the way his eyes glazed over, the way he smiled at her and the way he hadn't taken his attention away from her from the moment that they had been introduced. I would give anything to be there hearing what they were talking about.

If she thought for a moment that I was buying her nicey nice act that she had suddenly taken up, then she was more stupid than I would have given her credit for. I knew that she hated me; I knew that she didn't want me around and I knew that she resented me for the fact that I was with Jeff.

Ever since I had known her she had gotten everything that she had ever wanted handed to her on a plate.

In high school she got the role of Sandy in the Grease play.

In high school she had all the hot guys running around after her.

There was the fact that she got all 'A' passes in whatever she did.

All of her cloths were brand names and she took everything she had for granted.

I had tried out for the role of Sandy in the Grease play but I had ended up being one of the chorus geeks. I had been attracted to one of the guys that had been infatuated with her so I had always ended up with the guys who would love to have had a chance with her but knew that it would never happen. I tried hard to get as good grades as she did; and even with all the studying I did; I couldn't get above a 'C' average. My clothes were either made by my Mother or from the second hand store. I felt like a less than average teenager.

I don't know maybe I was over reacting at how much her life had been better than mine – how she hadn't had to sit at home where her Father sat on his backside all day and night because he was an alcoholic who couldn't find a job. She didn't have a Mother who was working at least 3 jobs just to make ends meet. When she was younger she had been allowed to move in with Jeff and his Family; there was no way that my Parent's would have allowed me to do that. Everything she had; she had taken for granted. All of the things that she had, had been handed to her on a silver platter. It made me sick and I couldn't believe how much she took for granted.

Just look at Jeff – it was more than obvious that he was in love with her and that he would do anything for her and how did she repay him? She didn't even know that he had been dating me for about 2 months before we met and she chose to treat me like crap.

Who wanted a best friend like that?

What did she have that I didn't?

I really couldn't understand why everyone seemed to love her and do as she said and followed her lead. I wasn't a stupid woman; I knew that it was because of her that none of the rest of the group liked me. All I had ever really wanted was to belong somewhere; I wanted someone to actually like me.

I had always wanted to look like her; she's beautiful, she's smart, she's fun and she knows how to just enjoy herself. There was no sign of her having any hang ups or self confidence problems. Maybe if I had, had her life then she would be the one sitting here instead of me and I would be the one being chatted up by the God look-a-like Randy Orton.

That was why I had changed my hair, that was why I dressed like her and that was why I had gotten in with Jeff – just because I wanted to be closer to her. I wanted to be friends but she had taken this instant dislike to me that hadn't changed over the years of not seeing one another. And now just because I was with her best friend – she was still holding some kind of grudge.

Like she really had any reason to be mad with me. It wasn't like I had done her any wrong. I was the one who had the justified issues with her and it was me that was being pushed out of the group because of her opinion and the fact that she had all this influence with the guys.

What had I done so wrong?

It wasn't like I had said anything out of line about her or anyone else in their little clique that they had going on.

I had tried talking to Jeff about the way they were treating me but he always fed me this cock and bull story that they were a tight Family who rarely let people in. Apparently it took them a while to accept new people in their group. I really didn't understand that; that was just pathetic. It's not like I was asking much – all I wanted was to be included in what they did, I just wanted to feel like they liked me and I just wanted to get to know Drea.

"Are you ok gorgeous?" Jeff whispered in to my ear before he gently started to kiss my neck.

Sometimes when he touched me – my skin would crawl and I'd feel sick. I just wasn't one of these girls who couldn't live without sex every day. I liked space and I liked to be my own person; I didn't want to be groped at every second. But I knew how much of a sensual person Jeff was – so I let myself rest in to his arms. I knew that I couldn't blow this because if I did then there was no way that I would get to know Drea any better.

"I'm fine!" I replied watching the way Drea was moving closer to Randy; her hand running up his chest slowly and I could see the effect that it was having on him. "Is she always like that?"

Jeff followed my gaze to where Drea and Randy were resting against one another as their heads tilted until their lips were touching in what looked to be a very slow and erotic kiss that deepened within seconds. I felt Jeff tense behind me and I knew that it was getting to him to have to watch the woman he loved getting it on with another man.

"I wouldn't know – I haven't been out drinking with her in the longest time but Kimo has been telling me that she has been good at manipulating men to her will -!"

Nothing changes – I had watched her flatter her way out of detention at school, I had watched her manipulate men to get them to do whatever she wanted them to do and I had watched her flutter her eyes to get ahead in queues.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked feeling the disgust rising in me.

For a woman to use men as much as she did; I had to wonder if maybe there was something that she was hiding. Maybe she was trying to tell herself that she really was in to men. Maybe she was confused about her sexuality. Maybe with men she was experimenting; I had always wondered if she was gay – no one could be that beautiful without finding the female form attractive; I mean there was no way that she was going to not spend hours just staring at herself.

"There's nothing wrong with her!" Instantly Jeff jumped to her defence. "I can understand why she needs to get it off her chest!" I could hear the way his jaw was tense and I could hear the way he wanted her to stop but he knew that she wouldn't.

I couldn't understand why he put himself through it – he should just cut her loose and start to look for someone who was better suited to him. It wasn't that he was a bad guy; he was sweet and he was caring and he was supportive but for me he was too weird. There were these eccentric ways that he had that always seemed to embarrass me. No matter where we were or what we were doing; there was at least one time when I could feel the red hitting my face like a burning cooker ring.

Randy's arms wrapped around Drea's waist and pulled her closer to his body until their kiss was growing more and more heated and people were beginning to watch them. Neither of them seemed to notice or care that they were being watched with morbid curiosity. People were sniggering and pointing, other people were making comments about self respect and how Drea didn't seem to have very much and other people seemed like they saw things like this every other day and ignored it.

I felt sick as Jeff suggested that we head back to our room – I guess that it was time to move away from the party and prepare to give in to Jeff's advances. Another night where I hadn't gotten the chance to get close to the one person that I really wanted to get close too.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	12. Chapter 12 Jumping to Conclusions!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 12__ – Jumping to Conclusions._**

_**The Following Morning;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

It seemed to me that it got harder and harder to ignore my feelings for my best friend. I had tried everything that I could think of – including getting involved with a girl just because there was a small sliver of resemblance to Drea. Now I was stuck with a girl who I wasn't going to fall in love with.

How could I have been so stupid?

Just thinking about spending forever with Phoebe made my gut drop so violently that I felt sick to my back teeth. Thinking about spending the rest of my life with Drea made me feel calm and content. I had always known that Drea was the one; it was just finding the courage to admit that and tell her how I felt. Especially when I had made the huge fuss of not ruining our friendship but we were now at that point where we were going to ruin our friendship because just seeing her talking with Randy Orton last night had made me want to race over to her and tell him to back off and then to see them kissing; I hadn't imagined that I could feel so completely tortured by something.

After I had watched Randy and Drea making out last night – I had needed to get out of there and put some space between us. I was losing my self control and if that had happened I would have ended up getting in trouble for fighting. And I would have ended up alienating Drea – because she couldn't stand the thought of real fighting.

Boxing she was fine with. Wrestling she was fine with – in fact she was ok with pretty much all martial arts but when it came to just macho bullshit – as she called it – she just wouldn't tolerate it. Especially if it were men fighting over her – it was what made her one of the most unique individuals that I had ever known. And it was what made her as special to me as she was.

When Phoebe and I had gotten back to our hotel room; I had needed to bury myself in my girlfriend just to stop thinking about Drea. Where it had normally worked in the past; last night had been different. I had turned some form of corner or something because every time I looked at my girlfriend; all I could see was my best friend staring back at me. I didn't know what I should do – stop because in a way it felt like I was cheating on Phoebe but at the same time; I didn't want to stop for fear of never actually experiencing anything so intimate with her ever. Drea was driving me crazy and I didn't think that I could handle it but the thought of walking away from her left me shaking all over.

In fact there had been many a time when I had wanted and tried to walk away from her but after a couple of hours I would cave and get in touch with her because at the end of the day; she was a huge part of my life and had been for the majority of my life. I couldn't walk away and I definitely didn't want too. It would be nice to be free of this suffocating, relentless desire that rippled through my body whenever she was near but if I didn't have that feeling then I feared that somehow my life would stop feeling so exciting.

Phoebe had to know that something was off – she wasn't a stupid girl by any means and she wasn't so wrapped up in me that she couldn't see what was really going on.

Just lying here in bed thinking about the way it had been Drea's body I had made love to last night, it had been Drea's eyes shining back at me, it had been Drea's mouth that had been purring my name and it had been Drea's fingers that had ran over my body – just the thought of it and I was as hard as a fucking board.

Then the minute it was over – Phoebe had fallen asleep and I had just laid here all night thinking about what Drea was doing with Randy Orton. My stomach curled tightly, my breath shortened with rage at the thought of Randy touching her body.

Had they made love?

Were they lying wrapped up in each other right now?

Would it turn in to something serious?

Would I have to get used to seeing her with yet another man that wasn't me?

I couldn't lie here and think about it anymore; I needed to work out this frustration and waking Phoebe was a no-no because I knew that she wasn't the type of girl who really enjoyed sex all that much. I personally didn't understand it but I did respect it. It wasn't the first time that I had heard people saying that they weren't really in to sex; I personally couldn't go without sex.

I loved the feeling of being completely naked with a woman; I loved to feel their bodies and I loved the tenderness that it could bring and I loved the wild animal instinct that it could bring. I loved the way it connected 2 people on a level that couldn't even be described and I loved the way it was a way to express how much you cared for someone. Just the thought of having and sharing that with Drea was more than I could even begin to bear thinking about.

Randy was Britt's older brother so there definitely was the chance that this could turn in to something more than just a one night stand. Randy and Britt were as close as Matt and I were – so it wouldn't be such a stretch to have him hanging around.

Would I ever get to share everything that I wanted to share with Drea?

Would there ever come a time when we were both single at the same time?

Hell, I didn't even know if she still felt the same way about me! For all I know; Daniel could have made her forget all about me; she surely was taking a long time to get over him. Not that I minded that because it was a huge thing to have to come to terms with; especially when we were still pretty young. You didn't get married only to have to say goodbye before you were 30 years old. I had tried not to let it bother me but every time Phoebe passed judgment on how Drea was dealing with her loss; it made me want to scream at her to shut up because she didn't have a fucking clue as to what she was talking about. She hadn't known Drea and Daniel together and she sure as hell didn't know what they had shared let alone knowing about all the guilt that Drea carried because of losing her child to him.

Slipping out of bed silently with the hope that I wouldn't wake Phoebe and have to answer a tirade of questions about where I was going, what time I would be back and what we were going to do for the day. I quickly pulled on a track suit and let myself out of the suite and instantly wished that I hadn't.

Stood 2 doors away was Randy Orton; Drea wrapped up in his arms; their bodies pressed tightly together as he pressed her against the door to her room and kissed her so erotically that it definitely spelt that they had made love.

The anger rose like a volcano getting ready to erupt with such violence that it would devour everything in its path. I didn't know if I could handle making morning small talk with them, so I turned on my heel and headed straight for the stairs that would take me down to the bottom floor where the gym was.

By the time I sat down on the bench I was seething with such ferocious anger that I could hardly see straight. I knew that I needed to calm down and I needed to get it together because Drea hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't like she was cheating on anyone, she was a free agent now and she had every right to see who she wanted and she could certainly sleep with whoever she wanted to sleep with. I had no right to be getting all bent out of shape – it was really my own doing.

"Hey man you're up early!" Matt greeted me as he walked in to the gym.

"Yeah!"

"Something on your mind?"

"Why would you ever ask me that?" I asked sarcastically.

"Cos I saw the way you made a quick retreat from the bar last night when Randy and Drea started sucking face like it was going out of fashion,"

"Gee thanks for reminding me!"

"Like you ever stopped thinking about it man. I know you Jeff – you were probably imagining that Phoebe was Drea when you had sex trying to get your mind off it!"

Damn him! He really did know me far too well. I can't believe that I was that easy to read. What the hell happened to the enigma?

It was suddenly like I didn't even know who I was anymore. Drea had altered every single aspect of me when she had seeped in to my veins and taken over. I couldn't seem to wash her away, I couldn't scrub her clean from my body and I didn't want too. I knew that the time was coming when I would have to end things with Phoebe because it wasn't fair of me to keep her around when I was thinking and feeling things for someone else.

"Ha! Ha! I'm right amn't I?" Matt chuckled sitting down at the arm presses to start out his workout for the morning.

"Fuck off Mattitude!" I grumped as I lay back on the bench to start lifting the weights I had slid on the ends of the bar.

"Ohh touchy, touchy!" He chuckled but indeed shut up after that.

I had to give my brother his due – he always knew when to let up on his teasing and I appreciated him for that because the thought of falling out with him on top of everything else that I was thinking right now; didn't exactly fill me with joy.

Throwing myself in to my workout, I thought about things and where my life was headed. What I wanted out of my life and where I wanted things with Drea to head – it was time that I grew up and started addressing things instead of trying to bury them and make them non existent. Clearly it just wasn't working for me and ultimately that could end to me either making a mistake in the ring over the last few weeks that I had left with the company before I took my break or it would end up with me getting really ill.

By the time my workout was finished; I knew that I had to get through this weekend and then tell Phoebe that it just wasn't working anymore. I needed to tell Drea that I was ready to give us a shot and I needed to make her see that I was serious about it too.

The pressure that I had been feeling suddenly seemed to lift as I made up my mind about what I was going to do. I was fed up of trying to make something work that clearly wasn't meant to work and the more that I saw Drea; the more I knew that I was only with Phoebe because she had a slight resemblance to my best friend and I knew that I was using Phoebe because I couldn't have my best friend in the way I wanted her. Enough was enough – if I carried on the way I was then I was going to end up hurting people who didn't deserve to be hurt.

Now that my mind was made up – I felt calm and free; I just needed to get through this weekend and hope that whatever was going on with Drea and Randy didn't start anything serious. I was fed up trying to find ways to be together and then making my mind up only for her to be with someone else.

_**2 hours later;**_

_**Claire's POV;**_

The sunlight was burning through my eye lids; and dragging me away from the dream state that I had been in for the majority of the night. My head was throbbing dully right at the front of my forehead; it was self inflicted so there was no point in trying to get sympathy from Shannon; cos he would just remind that I had brought it all on myself. Then he would persist on making noise for the rest of the day. This would then make me mad because he never suffered from bad hangovers.

At least; it was the type of hangover that would fade once I had something to eat and at least I could remember everything from last night. And I hadn't done anything to embarrass myself.

The soft feel of Shannon's calloused fingers began to run over my hips and my body shivered as if it had a mind of its own. Even after all the years of us being together; Shannon and I were as much in love as we had been when we first started dating and we still couldn't get enough of one another. In fact our sex life was much more intense now that we had been together for a while. I knew that I had made the right decision when I had chosen Shannon over my Family. There had never been a moment when I regretted the decision I had made.

Of course I missed my Parent's; they had always been there when I had needed them when I was growing up and was getting bullied for the way they made me dress, for the music that I was made to listen too and for being made to go to Church all the time. Back then I hadn't blamed them, I had never had the courage to open my mouth and disagree with what they had been force feeding me all my life. Thinking back on it – I now blamed them for everything.

If it hadn't been for them – I might have good memories from high school.

If it hadn't been for them – I might have been able to have friends in school.

And if it hadn't been for them – I probably wouldn't have been bullied the way I had been.

Slowly turning around to face my man and I was drowning in his crystal blue eyes; he was all mine and I had never thought that it would be possible for me to have a man as great as Shannon. When he had shown interest in me at the bowling alley – I was by far not the prettiest girl working. Because of my Parent's – my work outfit had been pressed and had one of those creases down the front of the trousers, my hair had been a bland colour and had been limp in volume, my eyebrows had been in serious need of a trimming but because my Parent's didn't believe in hair dye or waxing; I wasn't allowed to do it either.

"Shannon!" I mumbled as we just lay there looking at one another.

"Mmm?" He asked brushing my now blood red hair behind my ear and giving me that smile that had made my heart melt all those years ago.

"What did you see in me?" I asked him.

This topic of conversation always came up whenever I thought about my past – not once had Shannon been impatient with me because of it. Whenever I talked about my Parent's he would listen and he would tell me sincerely what he had seen in me, why he had wanted to get to know me and no one would ever have predicted that it was the reason that it had been.

"Awe baby – you've been thinking about them again haven't you?" He asked shuffling closer to me and wrapping me up in to his arms where I felt safe and comfortable.

"I have!"

"Well what I saw in you – was the way you seemed so shy; like you were the swan hiding behind the way you looked. I could see the way your head bobbed in time to the music I requested from the DJ and it was obvious to me that you didn't have very many friends – you only talked to people who talked to you, otherwise you would have your head down and burying yourself in your work,"

When I had first heard him say that I knew that he really had noticed me because that was exactly how I had been. I didn't talk with the other girls or the boys who worked with me, I didn't laugh with them and I didn't make plans to join them on nights out when we weren't working. Mainly because my Mother and Father would definitely not have allowed it. I really had been controlled by them and when I met Shannon; I had been completely resistant in the beginning; because I had been teased so much about good looking guys supposedly wanting to go out with me, that I had thought was the reason he had asked me out – to play another cruel joke on me.

For 4 months he had been coming in to the bowling alley whenever I was working; he would sit and talk to me. I knew that he had been trying to break the ice but I had been so tough on him because of what I had been through that I wouldn't have blamed him for walking away from me. But he kept on coming back and eventually he started taking Drea with him and she was the first one that I really talked too.

Drea and I had sparked up a great friendship and through her I had started voicing my opinions at home. When I had heard about how Drea's Parent's had treated her; it was like a switch going off in my head. I could have the life that I wanted – I could experience the things that my Parent's had forbid me from experiencing and I could still be a good person even if I were dating a man.

After the fall out with my Parent's Shannon offered me a place to stay but it was Drea's offer that I took. I moved in with her at her 2 bedroom apartment. The first thing she did was wax my eyes, legs and armpits then she had died my hair and taught me how to get more volume from my style. Then she had taken me shopping and helped me pick out new cloths. For the first time in my life – I felt beautiful and I felt like I was a part of something. When Shannon had seen me for the first time – his mouth had hung open until Drea had reminded him that he wasn't trying to catch flies. I had never felt a rush like that before – a man was actually looking at me as if I were desirable.

"I do have to say that I was upset that you took to Drea before me but when I heard what you had been subjected too and all the things that your Parent's had force fed you, I know that it wasn't easy for you to trust anyone; least of all a man. So at least it was someone I knew!" He chuckled placing a light kiss to the tip of my nose.

Most people didn't realize that Shannon had a soft and gentle nature to him; he was forever doing sweet things for me – like bringing me breakfast in bed every morning when he was at home. Whenever he was on the road he would send me roses and he would always phone me every night and when he came home he always had a little present for me. We could talk and we shared a lot of the same interests, which was something that glued us tighter together.

"You know I never forget just how lucky I am!" He said lacing his fingers through mine.

"Did you see Drea last night?" I asked quickly changing the subject. Sometimes it was uncomfortable for me to hear all the mushy stuff and as always Shannon was patient with that and he didn't push.

"I did and I have to say that I totally didn't expect her to get it on with Randy. I mean Kimo and Yuk have been telling us that she is becoming a little wild when she goes out but I never thought that she was that wild -!"

"Awe come on babe; it's not that bad!"

"It could be. What if she doesn't want anything more from Randy and he wants more or the other way around? Britt is gonna be stuck in the middle and that could cause a lot of problems,"

"Well we have to remember that Drea needs some leeway at the moment; it must be difficult for her to see Jeff and Phoebe being so sickeningly happy with one another -!"

"This is true," Shannon nodded.

Grabbing my cigarettes and the top blanket wrapping around me; I made my way to the balcony with Shannon following me. I couldn't even imagine how Drea must be feeling but I knew that I couldn't stomach being around Phoebe for long periods of time – she was loud, she was opinionated about things that she knew nothing about – just like the comments that she had made at the restaurant the other night with the guys. I mean who the hell did she think she was?

Phoebe hadn't been around when Drea could barely function after Daniel's death and she hadn't been there when Drea lost her little girl Danielle. We had all been worried that Drea couldn't bounce back from that when she had seen Danielle as the last thing of Daniel that she had left. There were days when she just wouldn't get out of bed – there was only one person that she would see and talk too and that was Jeff. It hadn't been a huge surprise because of how close they had always been.

"I just can't see what he sees in her," I admitted blowing large smoke rings out in to the air.

"Honestly – I don't either!" Shannon replied. "I mean sure I guess she's pretty but in a knock off Drea way; if she would just find her own look – then she could be really beautiful you know?"

"Yeah but that personality would keep her ugly,"

When I had been the ugly duckling; I had to learn how to read people and that came in handy when it came to getting to know new people and I knew that Phoebe was rotten all the way through to the core. That had been obvious when she had passed judgment on Drea when she didn't even know her – she hadn't even taken the time to try and get to know Drea.

I really didn't understand; Jeff was usually so on the ball with the women that he dated. Before Phoebe; Drea had gotten along with every woman that Jeff had introduced her too. I just had to hope that Jeff would wake up soon and see that this girl was poison and no good for him.

"You know you're too good and reading people!" Shannon chuckled stepping up behind me and feeding his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I love you!"

"I love you too!"

I didn't think that I could have been this happy with a man but here I was in love and the happiest that I had ever been.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	13. Chapter 13 Cross the Line!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 13__ – Cross the Line._**

_**Later that Day;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

I had a great night with Randy; after the bar closed we had walked down to the beach and taken a long walk, talking and laughing with one another. Then we had settled down on the sand for some more kissing, which was followed by more talking until the sun started to streak orange patterns over the dark night. Panama City Beach was usually so busy during the day but at night time it was even more beautiful and serene.

I had felt completely beautiful and desired in his arms; it had been a long time since I had felt that way. The other guys I had spent time with at home – had been after one thing only, not that I wasn't prepared not to give them it but sometimes it was nice to just spend time with someone that you knew was attracted to you and wanted to be there and talk instead of going straight for the gold. When I had found out that Randy was nothing like the character he played on screen; I had been surprised. It wasn't that I expected him to be a pompous git but to play someone like that so well; I had thought that there had to have been a sliver of truth to it.

Randy and I hadn't made any plans to hang out again but that was more than ok with me. I wasn't looking for a relationship and I sure as hell wasn't in the market for a casual fling. One night's suited me fine for the moment; I didn't have to worry about explaining all about Jeff and me, I didn't have to worry about explaining about my husband and I didn't have to worry about explaining things to Jeff.

Having watched Jeff and Phoebe so much over the past 2 and a half months; I needed to just work it out of my system, which was why I came down to the beach for a run after I had said goodbye to Randy this morning. Getting dressed in my sweats and a little vest top; I hooked my IPod to the waist band of my sweats and grabbed a bottle of water and headed out. I just knew that something was going to happen today and I needed to do my normal workout before the shit hit the fan. I didn't know how I knew it – I just had this tense feeling in my gut and I felt sick at the thought of what was coming.

I couldn't tell if it was going to be something with Phoebe or not but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was definitely going to boil down to something with her. I had fought so hard to keep my mouth shut lately especially after what she had said to me the other day about Jeff's supposed 'weird' side.

If she was so unhappy and didn't like everything about Jeff – then why the hell was she even with him?

I never could understand people who got together with someone then tried to change them – my favourite comedian; Billy Connolly said that it was potential of change – but if that were true then why not keep searching until you find someone like the man you are trying to change your partner in to?

Even from the beginning of our friendship – I had loved Jeff's eccentric side and that was where my own eccentricities came from. Sometimes when we had been teenagers; we had tried to out do one another with the weird things that we did. Our other friends thought that it was funny, and they even encouraged us. Hell I had joined the high school wrestling team on a bet that I wouldn't go through with it.

Reaching the end of the beach; I took a few moments to stop and have a few sips of my water. Looking out over the ocean; I sat down on the soft white sand and just stared at the horizon, the gentle lapping of the water caressed the sand slowly and softly before rolling back out to the ocean. Daniel had always liked the beach; whenever he got the chance, he would drag me down and we'd walk for hours just taking in the beauty and talking about anything and everything. Being here in this moment, I felt closer to him than I ever had. I could feel his presence circling me, comforting me and I could almost feel his arms wrapped around me and the scent of his aftershave enveloping me. Before I knew it; tears were slipping down my face as I remembered Daniel and how excited he had been when I told him that we were going to be Parent's.

The first thing that he did was drop to his knees and hug my belly while he started talking to the non existent bump. Once he had pampered me; he had raced out and came back a few hours later with a cot, a buggy, a diaper genie and car seat. I couldn't get him to understand that we shouldn't be buying things so early; but he had been far too excited to listen. Jeff had been the one who knew first – he had been there when I did the pregnancy test and he had been completely over the moon for me; it had been him that came up with the whole tadpole nickname for the baby.

Jeff – my Jeff, the love of my life, my soul mate and the one man that I could picture spending the rest of my life with.

This whole thing with Phoebe was ridiculous – I couldn't stand the thought of standing by and watching her all over Phoebe anymore. I needed to lay it on the line; Jeff needed to know all the facts before he could make up his mind. Even if he ended up choosing Phoebe over me and our friendship suffered because of it; I couldn't care because our friendship was already slipping.

With my mind made up, I got to my feet and dusted myself off then became the 2 mile long run back to the hotel. I felt lighter than before with my mind made up – today was going to be make or break for Jeff and I. With Shinedown pumping in my ear; I ran faster than ever and was glad when the hotel came in to sight. The minute I crashed through the front foyer I bumped in to Matt coming out of the elevator.

"Hey sugar!" He greeted me smiling brightly.

"Hey big man," I smiled bending over to catch my breath. "What's going on?"

"We're all hanging in the bar – you coming in?"

"I can't move another foot – let alone walking in to the bar," I laughed and before I knew it; I was being hoisted on to his back. "Well that'll work!"

"I thought so!" He chuckled as he moved towards the bar and just before he pushed the door open he stopped. "I have to warn you babe – Phoebe is in there!"

Maybe I was over reacting but every time I went anywhere – I asked the guys to tell me if Phoebe was there just so I could prepare myself for having to be in her company but now that I had made up my mind of what I was going to do; I didn't much care if she were there or not.

"Its ok big man – now's the time that I have to tell Jeff everything!"

Matt almost dropped me with his shock but he knew better than to ask if I was being serious; he knew that if I said something then I would do it. We had been a part of each other's lives for so long that we knew each other inside out. I also knew that I had his backing no matter what; because otherwise he would have dropped me on the ground and told me that I couldn't do it.

I also knew that all my friends hated Phoebe as much as I did and I knew that if my telling Jeff how I felt meant that she was going to disappear then they would be behind me 100%.

Matt pushed the door open and stepped through in to the bar; my eyes scanned the room from my friends back where I was comfortable. Smiling at my friends, I knew that I was one of the luckiest people in the world – I had a group of best friends who would be with me through everything that life threw at me. They had been right there when I lost Daniel – sure I hadn't actually talked to them since I stayed in bed but they had stayed in the house and made sure that everything continued to tick over for me.

"I don't fucking believe it!" I seethed jumping down from Matt's back and charging through the bar to where Phoebe and Jeff were sat talking to one another. _"What the hell do you think you're wearing?" _I demanded of her.

The dark of her contacts looked up at me; just another thing that she was copying me on. I felt sick and I felt like I wasn't going to be able to control my emotions as my eyes took in the shirt that she was wearing…Daniel's shirt; the shirt that I had been desperate to find before we left home. I knew it was Daniel's because it had the splatter of bleach along the seam.

"Excuse me?" Phoebe asked sweetly which just made me see red even more.

"_You? You were in my room!" _I yelled angrily, as I grabbed her and yanked her from the chair she had been sat in. I should have known that she was just as crazy enough to actually do something like that.

"What?" She asked pulling away from me and hiding behind Jeff – yeah she had better hide; I was going to fucking kill her for this. This had gone far enough and if I could get my hands on her I would throttle her.

"Drea she wouldn't…" Jeff tried to defend her as he held me at bay.

"_Wouldn't she? She's already trying to mould herself in to some form of carbon copy of me and doing it fucking badly may I add – but this is the last God damn fucking straw! Why does she have to copy everything I do?" _I demanded; I was beyond livid. I could actually see red spots flashing before my eyes and I didn't actually know what I was capable of but I sure as hell wanted to find out – because this 'thing' had taken things way beyond sanity.

How dare she?

The thought of her being in my room and going through my things made me feel sick not to mention the fact that she had now taken the only shirt I had kept of Daniel's and she had probably sprayed it with her own fucking skanky perfume so it would have lost his scent.

"_GET IT OFF!" _I yelled completely unconcerned about the fact that people were now staring. My friends clearly realized that I had been pushed to my limit as they lined up behind me.

"_Whoa slow down Drea -!" _Jeff pleaded as I made a grab for her.

"_Slow down!? You seriously just told me to slow fucking down? I said get it off you fucking little psycho!" _I yelled pushing past Jeff and pulling Phoebe towards me.

"_God what's your problem?" _Phoebe asked me as she sniggered which infuriated me even further.

"_My problem is that you were going through my fucking things and you took the only thing that I have left of Daniel and you – you just shit all over it!" _I don't think that I had ever been this mad; I was literally shaking with anger. _"And my problem is that you are trying to become me – why not just take everything else from my life that matters to me -!"_

"_Oh just get over it Andrea!" _

I had to push her away because if I didn't I was going to seriously do her harm. Blowing out a long sigh, I looked to my friends and knew that they weren't judging me for doing this; they had seen how hard it had been on me with her being around.

"_Daniel is dead and you need to let go – it's been over a year already; he's not coming back!"_

"_GET IT FUCKING OFF NOW!" _I lunged for her and started pulling the shirt over her head.

I wasn't stopping until I had the shirt in my hands, I wasn't letting her get away with this and I sure as hell wasn't backing down on this. She hadn't even been around when I had lost my husband or my child and she had the audacity to stand there and tell me that I needed to get over it. My rage was building as my heart felt like it was literally going to rip right through my chest.

"_What are you doing?" _Phoebe and Jeff both yelled at the same time.

"_I fucking told her to get it off or I would take it off – time's fucking up!" _

I didn't care that she was now stood there in the middle of a public place in her bra – she had, had no right to go in to my room. After years of having to deal with the fact that she was trying to copy everything I did, everything I was and everything that made me who I was. She had no right to go through my things and she had absolutely no right wearing Daniel's shirt. My anger was taking over and I didn't know if I would be able to control it.

"_You're outta line Drea!" _Jeff spat at me coldly as he tried his hardest to cover his little tart up.

"_I'm outta line? Really? She was in my fucking room Jeff; she was going through my things and she certainly isn't fucking good enough to be wearing my husband's shirt -!"_

"_Your dead husband!" _Phoebe chided me.

"_Why you little fucking…!" _I sprang towards her but before I could reach her and rip her head off her fucking shoulders; I was being restrained by Matt and Shannon.

"_I suggest you get her the hell outta here!" _Matt stated coldly as I fought to get out of his and Shannon's clutches.

"_Get over it Andrea!" _Phoebe spat happily now that I was being restrained by Matt and Shannon.

The goby little bitch was pushing every button that she could; I don't understand what Jeff saw in her but the fact that he was sticking up for her told me all I needed to know. There was no chance for us – he had made his choice and that meant this friendship was over.

"_You had better stay the fuck away from me!" _I yelled as Jeff began steering her towards the exit to the bar. _"LET ME FUCKING GO!" _I yelled at Matt and Shannon as I yanked myself out of their grip. I stormed out of the hotel and headed straight for the beach where I could be alone.

Hugging Daniel's shirt to me, trying to sniff his aftershave that I had left on the shirt to find that it was replaced by Phoebe's cheap perfume. Anger threatened to consume to the point of no return.

Phoebe had better stay the hell away from me for the rest of this trip because I wouldn't be held accountable for my actions. Before I knew what was happening I was sobbing in to the shirt desperately. Wondering why they had been taken from me all over again.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Drea had been madder than I had ever seen her and in a way I could understand why but she hadn't needed to pull the shirt from Phoebe's body in public like that.

"Jeff…what did I do wrong?" Phoebe asked me and hearing her I couldn't believe that she had even asked me that. "I just want your friend's to like me but I know that they don't and that is down to Drea; she doesn't like me so none of them like me!"

"That's not true," I lied. I knew that not one of my friend's liked my girlfriend. Siding with Drea over what ever grudge she held against my girl.

"It is true Jeff…not one of them stuck up for me down there. Not one of them bothers to talk to me; I just thought that if I could be more like Drea then they would accept me," She sobbed burying her head in my chest.

I felt bad for her, it was true that my friend's didn't bother with her, they didn't bother to talk to her, to try and get to know her and suddenly I was angry at them for it! Phoebe was my girlfriend; granted I wasn't overly happy but they were my friend's and they should support me no matter what!

"It's ok baby!" I soothed gently leading her to the bed and sitting down. "We don't need them do we? I mean we're happy right?" I asked finding myself more alone than I had ever been. I wanted a friend to listen to me, I wanted a friend to hear what I was feeling; I wanted Drea.

"Mmhmm! I like to think that we are happy!" She replied as her sobbing started to slow down. "Just tell me that…you don't want Drea,"

"What?" I asked instantly defensive.

"When we met you told me that you were trying to get past someone; someone who didn't even realize that you exist; tell me it wasn't Drea,"

"I-I…" I didn't want to lie to the girl, but I couldn't admit to her that I had, had…still have feelings for my best friend. Phoebe was already jealous of Drea and the way that everyone seemed to side with her. "No it wasn't…isn't Drea!" I replied placing my lips to hers in the hope that I could get her mind off the subject of Drea.

When all I wanted to do was run after my best friend and make sure that she was ok! To tell her that I had thought Phoebe had been out of line not her. The more I thought about it the more I came to the conclusion that Drea had been well with in her rights to tear that shirt from Phoebe's body.

How the hell had I managed to get myself in to this mess?

"I mean it's not like she really loved Daniel anyway!" Phoebe suddenly said bringing the topic of conversation back to Drea. "That night you kissed her wasn't something that she ever really got past!"

Staring at her – I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Drea and I were the only people knew about what happened between us the night that we admitted how we felt for one another; we both agreed that it was just something that was private between the 2 of us. Drea and I were always open and honest with one another and I knew that she hadn't told anyone about what had happened because if she had; Claire and Brittany would have been on my case about what had happened. A week after it had happened she had told me that she had written about it in her diary. That was the only thing about my best friend that was girly – she had always kept diaries. She had confessed that she wanted to remember everything that had happened in her life and she wanted something to look back on when she was older and know that she had definitely lived her life to the maximum.

"You know I think I'm gonna go and talk to her about what happened in the bar earlier,"

"I'll come with you -!"

"No Phoebe -!" I jumped in quickly. "I know Drea; the more we crowd her – the less chance there is of her backing down,"

Thankfully Phoebe agreed and backed down saying that she was going to take a long soak in the bath while I went in search of my best friend to see what she was thinking. It suddenly didn't matter to me whether or not Drea wanted to be with me because it was obvious to me that Phoebe had been reading through Drea's diary because there was no way that Drea would have told her what had happened.

Once I was satisfied that Phoebe was in the bath and not intending on following me, I made my way down to the bar where my friends were all sat talking about what had just happened with Drea and my girlfriend.

"Where is Drea?" I demanded.

"She tore out of here – my guess would be that she's gone to the beach!" Matt informed me before turning back to my friends.

I had known that they had a problem with Phoebe and I should have known that their response would have been just like this – I was the one who had invited Phoebe in to our lives and in their eyes; she was the one causing problems, so I would have to be the one to fix it. And I would fix it – that was what I was planning on doing in the first place. I just wished that they would find it in them to support me instead of leaving me to deal with it all on my own.

Making my way out of the hotel without saying another word to them, I headed in the direction of Panama beach; the one beach that Drea had wanted to visit after watching Prison Break. I began looking in every direction possible and noticed the small dot of my best friend crumbled on the sand with the shirt pressed to her face. In that split second my heart shattered in to a million pieces because I knew that I was partly to blame mainly because I was the one who had brought this girl in to our Family without really knowing anything about her.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	14. Chapter 14 Not Meant to Be!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 14__ – Not Meant To Be._**

_**Drea's POV;**_

My anger just wouldn't deflate – all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel, find Phoebe and tell her some more home truths but I didn't trust myself enough around her without actually physically hurting her. I could definitely let the nippy voice go, I could get past the fact that she was with my best friend when I was in love with him and I could get over the fact that she was seriously annoying – but what I couldn't get over was the fact that she had evidently been going through my things and now all I could think about was what else she had helped herself too.

I had a good mind to go back there and demand that she let me go through her stuff just so I could make sure that she hadn't taken anything else. That was going to just make matters worse because once again Jeff would jump to her defence; just like he had back at the hotel.

It had never crossed my mind that Jeff would have taken her side – especially when he knew how private I was. I hated people poking their noses in to my business especially when I didn't even know them all that well. I had tried getting along with the girl – but every time I tried to ask her something she would turn it around until I was the one answering those questions. The girl had learnt so much about me but I had learned nothing about her other than her name was Phoebe and she was the same age as me. It definitely made me wonder if she had actually talked to Jeff and opened up to him.

My tears were soaking through Daniel's shirt staining it and marking it with my own scent again; but I didn't want my scent to be on it; I wanted my husband's scent to be there – I wanted to have that feeling of him being close when I had this shirt on me but she had spoiled that. I hadn't kept much of Daniel's things; this shirt and the last bottle of his aftershave were all I had left and she had just taken everything that I held sacred to me and crapped all over it. I can't actually ever remember being this mad before – I couldn't even put it in to words at how and why I was so mad.

Hadn't this girl taken enough from me?

First she had taken my best friend and made him in to her boyfriend so that I rarely got to spend any alone time with him anymore. I could feel the distance growing between Jeff and I and I didn't know how the hell I was going to stop it from happening.

Secondly – she had now apparently gone through all of my things and taken one of my most prized possessions and replaced memories that I couldn't get back by just spraying all of her slutty smell all over it.

What was next?

Was she going to take over my entire life and slowly edge me out?

I couldn't even bear the thought of losing the rest of my Family – I just couldn't and I wouldn't let it happen. Phoebe had another thing coming if she thought that I would run off with my tail between my legs. One thing that she apparently didn't know about me; I was head strong to the point where it infuriated everyone.

She could have Jeff – if he was shallow enough to want to spend time with her then that was his look out but she wasn't going to get anymore of my life. I had given enough energy to this psycho's obsession; no more! When I got back to NC then it was time that I started to find my own place and until then I hoped that the Legend wouldn't mind putting me up again. I couldn't stay in a house where my privacy wasn't respected and it was clear that Jeff was taking Phoebe's side.

"_Drea! Drea!" _The sound of Jeff's voice called out to me.

Slowly turning to see him jogging up the soft white sand, my breath caught in the back of my throat for a split second and then the anger returned. The way his arms rippled in the sun light, the way his hair matted his face as he must have jogged the entire mile that I had made it along the beach before collapsing in a fit of self pity. The wind pulled his cloths back to show off the true definition of his toned body and I was reminded that this man was everything that I had ever wanted and what I would want, but it was over, I had to take a step away from him.

"_What do you want?" _I demanded angrily as I got to my feet and began dusting off my ass.

"_I just wanted to know if you were ok!?"_

"_Like you care!" _I muttered under my breath as I fished in my pocket and pulled out my cigarette's.

"_What the hell does that mean?"_

_  
**"It means that I didn't see you sticking up for me in there -!"**_

**"_Come on Drea – what the hell was I supposed to do? She's my girlfriend -!"_**

**"_And I'm just your best friend so what – I'm expendable?" _I demanded whirling around to face him – the look on my face must have said it all because his head hung in shame and he started kicking at the sand. _"Don't worry Jeff – I won't be putting you in anymore fucking positions where you have to choose between me and your little fucking Miss Perfect girlfriend – I just can't believe that you would dump me for that!"_**

The tears were stinging my eyes but I wouldn't allow them to fall, there was no way that I was giving him the satisfaction of seeing me upset over him. I was stronger than that and I wouldn't let him think that I was in anyway bothered by his decision.

**"_Whoa wait a God damn fucking minute – who said anything about having to choose?"_**

**"_Me – I said something about choosing because I can't hang around with someone who has such little respect for me that she would fucking go through my things – and not only that; when I confront her you of all people stick up for her – sorry but things are never going to be the same between us -!"_**

The fear was rising in me – just the thought of losing my best friend when he had been there through everything; made me feel so sick. I didn't want to lose him; I wanted him to say that he was going to get rid of her and that our friendship was the most important thing in the whole world to him.

Was I being selfish?

Did I sound completely unreasonable by asking him to pick?

Maybe I did and maybe I didn't – I didn't much care for the truth all that mattered to me right now was that I was saying goodbye to my best friend for good. I felt betrayed by him – like he knew I was still struggling but he still found it necessary to take 'her' side in all that had gone down.

"_Well I'll tell you something sweetheart –!" _He started with sarcasm dripping from his voice. _"Things between us haven't been the same for a lot longer than you ever cared to realize -!"_

_"What the hell do you mean by that?"_

"_I mean that you and Daniel got together without caring about what I wanted -!"_

**"_Oh so the fucking truth comes out – you selfish son of a fucking bitch! You were the one who threw me aside – so don't you dare fucking stand there and accuse me of not taking your feelings in to consideration,"_**

To anyone walking by this would look like a lover's tiff but in the heat of the moment I didn't care what anyone else thought. There was absolutely no way that he was going to stand there and get away with pinning all of this on me. I hadn't been the one who said that we should just remain friends, I wasn't the one who had the choice to make and I wasn't the one who had admitted our feelings first. Jeff had been the first to bring up the subject of us having feelings for one another and he was the one who had made the decision that we would just remain friends.

**_"I made the decision because you were the one who was happy to continue ignoring it – then straight after that – you went and met Daniel and I was instantly replaced in your life!"_**

**_"Un-fucking-believable! You have no idea what I felt or still feel; that was obvious when you stuck up for your snotty nosed little girlfriend -!"_**

_"Wow jealous much!?"_

_**"Fuck you Jeff Hardy – just stay the hell away from me! I'm done; this is done and in future don't fucking think that you can come running to me when things go sour with Phoebe!"** _Before I could stop myself – my hand had connected with the side of his face.

Both of us just stared at one another, we were clearly too shocked to say anything about it. Our friendship was seriously in danger and not once had we ever exchanged such harsh words with one another.

Every inch of my body was shaking with anger again; my heart was thundering wildly against my chest and I was in desperate need of something to drink to calm me down. I wanted to get back to my friends and it was clear that things weren't over in this heated discussion between Jeff and me. For the first time ever; I looked at Jeff and although I could see how handsome he was but I didn't know who the hell he was. Stood before me; his eyes looked cold and empty, his smile that usually played over his lips when we argued before was cold and replaced with nothing but a thin line of hardness.

My best friend was gone and I was alone.

I was 100% alone and I doubted that I would ever look at him in the same way. But I knew that there would come a time when he would need me, Phoebe was going to slip up soon enough and I wasn't planning on being anywhere near her or Jeff when that happened. I just couldn't stay around him when he hadn't done anything to stick up for me against his girlfriend if that was what you could call her.

Slowly Jeff started pacing – cutting me off every time I went to slide past him. Clearly he wasn't done with me and evidently we weren't going to be done for a while. I could see that he was building up to letting off steam and usually I didn't mind being the one that he did that too because I would always end up trying to make a joke out of it but this time wasn't a joke – this time it was real and I didn't know how I was going to deal when I finally walked away from him.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

When I had made my mind up to come out here – I had known that there would be the possibility that she was going to get mad. I couldn't blame her because I guess in a way I had been sort of gutless – I should have stuck up for her, I was supposed to be her best friend and friends always came before partners. But now that I was being yelled at – my stubborn streak wouldn't allow me to admit that I had been in the wrong.

Drea had a mean temper on her – and I always tried to make sure that I didn't set her off. When she was in a temper she never held anything back and I had to admit that some of the things that she had just said had really cut deep.

When she had introduced me to Daniel I had been completely accepting of him; so I had thought that she would have at least shown me the same courtesy but no, she had picked at Phoebe until I was picking at her too. Everything Phoebe did was compared to Drea, everything Phoebe said grated on my nerves because she tried too hard to sound like my best friend, then of course she tried too hard to dress like Drea and now I had to deal with the whole thing with Phoebe going through Drea's things and I knew for sure that she had gone through my best friends diary.

"Look I know that we haven't -!"

_"No Jeff – you have said all that I want to hear. Clearly you're not the person I thought you were! Just stay away from me," _Drea spat at me before pushing past me and heading back along the beach towards the hotel.

Every instinct told me that I should run after her and finish having this out with her – she was my best friend after all but my head was telling me to let her cool off before I tried talking to her again. I had to believe that we would get through this – we were best friends and had been for as long as I could even remember.

From the minute that we had been seated next to one another – we had started by stealing one another's pencils, then we started teasing one another and pulling each other's hair and that eventually developed in to the friendship that had steadily grown in to something that no one had been able to come in between of until I had started dating Phoebe. The fear that I was feeling at just the thought of losing Drea's friendship was scarier than the thought of breaking things off with Phoebe.

Sinking to the sand I stared out at the fading sun light as the water lay motionless in the way it does after a storm. It felt weird – it felt like the water should be recklessly crashing on to the shore after the thunderous row that Drea and I had just had. My thoughts slowly turned to that night when we had confessed to one another what we were feeling…

'…_smiling as the bartender placed the bottle of Jack Daniels in front of me as requested. I had just gotten home from being on the road and all I had thought about was going and hanging out with Drea. Sometimes she was the only thing that got me through being on the road all the time. Just the thought of seeing her could get me through almost anything._

_I couldn't stop thinking about the things that had been posted on The Hardy Show message board; the fans were taken with my best friend, there were comments about how great they thought we looked together, how much of a cute couple they thought we'd make and how it seemed like she was super supportive of my career. Usually I wasn't one to put any weight in to the things that were said on the internet because mainly those people didn't have a clue who I was or who Drea was or what was best for me but I had to admit that they were right about Drea._

_I can still remember when I had first discovered my feelings for my best friend; we had been out all day messing around and our cloths were messed up and muddy. My Dad had gone absolutely crazy and demanded that we get cleaned up – I had accidently walked in to the bathroom just as Drea was getting out of the shower after Matt had told me that she was finished in there – of course he had been trying to play a prank on me, which had only succeeded in me developing some serious feelings for her. I had tried to ignore it but the sight of her lightly tanned flesh, the way the water buds dripped down her glistening frame, the way she was toned so beautifully that she had curves in all the right places and the way her hair clung to her back creating more water buds to drip down her back._

_After that had happened, I had to find a way to stop looking at her and seeing her naked but it got harder and harder as she grew and started to blossom in to a beautiful shape that could drive me to distraction. Then the jealousy started when guys started asking her out and she discovered that guys weren't just for rough housing with._

"_Well here I was thinking that you were going to come to Papa's house and take me out!" The woman in question breezed up next to me, her voice light and gentle._

_God I was in serious trouble._

_  
"Hey what's wrong? You seem kind of down," She waved her hand to the bartender and motioned for a glass. "What's with the drowning your sorrows in a bottle of JD?"_

"_Andrea I nee -!" I started to say._

_  
"Oh it must be serious – you're calling me Andrea,"_

_We only ever addressed one another formally when we had something important to talk about. And while I had been away I had come to the conclusion that I had to tell Drea what I was feeling because hiding it and holding back from her was definitely killing me slowly._

_  
"Please just listen to me – I need to – I can't hide the way I feel – about you anymore!" I managed to stammer._

"_Ok I'm all ears," She replied pouring herself a healthy shot of Jack and sipping it while I turned to face her completely._

"_You know that I love you right?" I asked her and she nodded and smiled happily at me. "Well I have sort of – for a long time now I have been trying to hide how I feel – but I can't – it's killing me to be around you and not tell you that I am in love with you and that I can't think about anyone else other than you -!"_

_For the longest moment she just sat there staring at her drink and I thought for sure that I had blown it. I couldn't take the silence but I was scared to make her talk before she was obviously ready to talk. I watched her light a cigarette and smoke it all the way through before she turned and looked at me._

_  
"You know Jeff – I really wish that you would have told me this before you went away!"_

"_What? Why?"_

_"Well I met a guy the night you went on the road! He's really great and I am having loads of fun hanging out with him and I just -! If you had told me this before you left then maybe we would have had a shot and I -!"_

"_No it's ok," I lied to her for the first time. "I just I wanted you to know how I felt but I think that its better that we just remain friends,"_

_  
"You really want that?"_

_For the next hour we sat and talked about how we felt and she admitted that she had felt the exact same way as I did but she owed it to this new guy to try and work through what they had. I listened as she told me all about Daniel and I could feel my heart tugging tightly in my chest – I wanted to scream at her to tell him to get lost, that I wanted to be the guy who made her cheeks flush like that and I wanted to be the one who caused her to smile so brightly._

_I can't even remember how we ended up kissing; but our lips had met in a slow erotic embrace. Lost in her eyes I never wanted the moment to end, my arms snaked around her slender form and pulled her hard against me and our bodies crushed together. Slowly our tongues met in a passionate dance; and my heart fluttered so desperately that I thought that I might end up having a heart attack from the heat that was sweeping through my body…'_

...That felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. But every time I closed my eyes I could get right back to that very moment. At the time I had been so sure that she and Daniel wouldn't last, I had hoped and prayed that somehow we would get the chance to be together at one point or another.

But now after Phoebe and the argument that we had just had; I knew that I had completely blown it with Drea. I would have to definitely find a way to deal with it but if she were being honest about how she felt and not wanting to see me ever again, then maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get through losing one of the most important people in my life.

I still needed to end things with Phoebe; I couldn't be with someone who invaded and didn't respect my best friend's privacy. I needed to know that my girlfriend got along with the people in my life and clearly Phoebe really didn't.

**R/N - Since I am feeling better after a rather crappy week, I thought that I would give you guys another update - I hope that you enjoy :) Please if you would like more, you know the drill :) I hope that you are all well and have a great weekend - I am thinking on updating this twice a week from now :) Love you all to bits and would appreciate it if you let me know whether or not I should update more often. Those of you in America; I hope that you are having a great THANKSGIVING! :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	15. Chapter 15 We Knew This Would Happen!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 15__ – We Knew This Was Going to Happen._**

_**Back in the bar;**_

_**Shannon's POV;**_

We were all still pretty shaken from how mad Drea had been at what Phoebe had done; not that we blamed her for it. Phoebe had over stepped the mark; it was one thing to borrow something from Drea but to take it without even asking was low even by Phoebe's standards. I would definitely hate to be the one who had my stuff gone through by someone who I didn't even know all that well. I would feel completely violated. But this wasn't just borrowing some random top – it was taking the only thing that Drea had kept of her husband and wearing it and smothering it with her cheap perfume.

"- in all honesty, I don't know why she didn't actually knock her fucking head off!" Claire commented as she placed her glass on to the table.

"Me either – you know I am now suddenly beginning to think that maybe this girl is slightly insane!" Brittany nodded as her head came to rest on Matt's shoulder.

Matt, Brittany, Claire and I had talked a lot about what Drea had told us about Phoebe from school. Being in the year below Drea, I vaguely remember seeing Phoebe in school; especially when she was in some of my classes and hearing some of the kids talking about how crazy she was. I would see the way she dressed identical to Drea, she would put her hair in the same styles, Phoebe tried to infiltrate the group that Drea hung out with in school and she always tried to cosy up to the guys who had dated Drea.

What had shocked us all was the fact that Jeff had jumped to Phoebe's defence instead of his best friend's, whose side he would always jump to if needed.

"I think that Jeff is going to have a hell of a lot of sucking up to do to Drea!" I admitted out loud.

"You don't have to tell us that!" Claire replied. The entire situation would have been hilarious if it wasn't so tragic.

The situation was becoming more dire by the day and our thoughts on it coming in between our friendships was definitely becoming more and more like a huge possibility. I didn't want anything to come in between us and I didn't want to have to choose whose side I was going to take; which would probably end up causing rifts between Claire and I as well as Matt and Brittany because there was no doubt the girls were going to take Drea's side. It wouldn't matter whether or not Matt and I agreed with Jeff; we would have to take his side and that is exactly where the issues would arise.

Claire and I rarely fought – it was one of those things where we had been together long enough to know how to read one another's moods and how to dispel any anger that we somehow felt. I hated fighting with my wife, mainly because the thought of her being mad with me – didn't make me feel very comfortable. The other reason was that sometimes depending on what was said; Claire would get upset because it would bring back a lot of the memories that she had from her Family.

After all that she had faced at the hands of her Parent's; she didn't need the hassle of having to think about them and what they did to her. I was just glad that Drea had gotten through to her when I took her to the bowling alley. For months I had tried talking to Claire; she didn't pay any attention to me – she was shy and with drawn; the other workers at the bowling alley didn't pay her much attention and she always hid behind her long beautiful hair. Drea had managed to get through to her and they slowly built a friendship; until Drea managed to convince her to come to one of the party's at Matt's house.

I had to admit that after Drea lost Daniel, I had started thinking about marriage because I had learned that life was short and it was best to cram as much in to it as possible. I had talked to Drea about asking Claire to marry me and I had talked to Brittany; getting both sides of the fence. Brittany was very much against marriage – after her own Parent's had experienced a really bad divorce and seeing a lot of her own friends going through divorces. Drea had been married and she could give me the kind of advice that only came from married women. Thankfully with the help of my oldest friend – I had managed to get the right ring and even got the proposal right – and here we were almost 8 months later still as happy as ever.

"If I am honest; I can't see Jeff putting up with Phoebe for much longer -!" Matt commented.

"If he's fucking smart he will get rid of her as soon as possible!" Brittany admitted. "I know that Drea doesn't like Phoebe and I know that she has her reasons for that and no one can blame her for it but come on – you guys can't say that there isn't something creepy about Phoebe?"

"I couldn't agree more – there is something in that girls eyes every time she looks at Drea!" Claire admitted.

"Oh my God you see that too?" Brittany expressed.

"I really do – its weird and its kind of twilight zone scary -!"

"What are y'all talking about?" Matt and I asked at the same time.

I couldn't stop thinking about what they were trying to get at – whatever it was; I definitely hadn't noticed it. I had noticed the whole trying to copy every aspect of Drea's life. That was creepy enough without noticing some crazy assed look.

"Well sometimes I swear that looking at Phoebe when Drea is around; its like – the look in her eyes is – God how do you say this – it's like she wants Drea,"

"Wants Drea to what?" Matt asked as the volume in our voices lowered so as not to let anyone else hear what we were talking about.

Claire had mentioned the look to me before but we had never actually talked it through. As I watched Claire and Brittany share a look with one another – I instantly got it. They thought that Phoebe was falling in love with Drea. Not that I thought it was sick because I knew a lot of gay people; but if anyone knew Drea at all – they would know that there was no way that she was attracted to women.

I listened as Brittany explained things to Matt and I watched the way his face contorted in to an uncomfortable sight. Once again it would have been comical if it weren't so serious.

"I swear the girl isn't thinking with a full deck if you know what I mean!" I said trying to lighten the mood just as the bar doors opened and Drea fell in to the room where she moved to the bar and ordered a couple shots of straight Jack Daniels and a bottle of Budweiser to chase it.

"Hey sweetie are you ok?" Britt and Claire asked at the same time as she approached our table and flopped down on to a chair next to me and let her head fall on to my shoulder.

"I'm done -!"

"What do you mean?" Matt asked placing his empty bottle on to the table.

"I mean – I can't take it anymore. I'm done with Jeff – he has made his choice and that's it! I'm gonna move out when we get home and I'm gonna start looking for my own place,"

"What? You can't do that – you can't let her push you out!?" Claire expressed.

"She's not pushing me out – I'm out! I'm done – I'm just sick of the games, I am sick of trying to hide the way I feel and most of all – I'm just tired of it all,"

"Maybe you just need to think about it -!" Brittany suggested.

"Nope – I've been thinking about it the past few weeks and the more I see her with Jeff the more ill I am making myself. Surely if we were meant to be together then it would have happened by now – clearly it just wasn't meant to be!"

The finality in her tone was definitely real and obviously she was sure of what she was saying. There was almost a defeated tone to her that I had never seen before. Even though I was younger than Drea; I always felt the need to stick up for her as if she were my little sister. We had always been super close to one another and I knew that I could trust her with absolutely anything. I just hoped that she felt the same way and would talk to me if she needed it.

Usually she went to Jeff with things that she needed to talk about but now that she was saying that she was done then maybe she would find that she could confide in any one of us. We were all here for her whenever she needed us and we would just have to keep reminding her of that now that she was not going to be hanging around Jeff.

"I think that I might get myself a flight home in the morning," Drea announced downing her second shot in one go before slamming the glass on to the table.

"What? No you can't – please Drea don't do anything hasty!" Claire jumped in straight away.

I had to admit that it couldn't be much fun for Drea with all of us coupled off. Not that she was the kind of girl who let that bother her but when she kept having Jeff and Phoebe's relationship shoved in her face; it just couldn't be easy. But we tried our best to make sure that she wasn't left feeling left out.

"I have to honey – I need to talk to Pop's and see if I can move in there until I can find a place of my own," Drea admitted determinedly.

"Why don't you just move in with us if you're so determined to get out of Jeff's place?" Matt suggested.

"Oh come on Matty – you need to have space for you and Britt,"

I could see that this was killing Drea inside – I surely had never thought that I would see the day when Drea and Jeff weren't best friends. I thought for sure that after Daniel died; it would just be a matter of time before the 2 of them got their acts together and became the couple that we all knew they should be.

Brittany, Matt, Claire and I exchanged looks that said that we needed to find a way to get Drea and Jeff together. Phoebe was going to be a passing phase whether Jeff knew it or not; she wouldn't be causing problems for much longer.

_**Matt's POV;**_

It had been a real long time since I had seen Drea so mad – not that I blamed her for it. What she had shared with Daniel had been special; anyone around them had been able to see that and the thought of someone else wearing his shirt was definitely bound to make her mad. In fact I think mad was a slight exaggeration – she had been more leaning towards psychotically livid and I absolutely sided with her 100%

Phoebe had been completely out of line with what she had done. What shocked me was the fact that Jeff hadn't been able to see it. When he had taken Phoebe's side; I had thought that Drea was going to turn on him but she had held her dignity and taken back what was hers and left before anyone could see just how upset she was. It had been obvious that she was fighting back her emotions when it must have felt that her best friend had deserted her.

I truly didn't know what my brother was thinking but he must have lost his mind – you didn't let your latest fling come in the way of your friendships and there was absolutely no doubt in any of our minds that it was indeed a fling. There was no way that Jeff could ever possibly have a long term thing with that woman.

"Yeah well I don't mind one little bit – it'd be nice to have another female opinion around the place," Brittany spoke up quickly.

"Hey now!" I complained half jokingly.

For the most part Brittany and I lived in harmony – only on the rare occasions when we disagreed about something she would say that she wished she had another female around the place to take her side.

"No guys – thank you so much for the offer but I'm gonna ask pops first if y'all don't mind?"

"Not at all sugar – it's your decision!" I replied winking at her. "Just remember that we are all here for you – there is no way that we're letting this get in the way of the Family that we've made -!"

Everyone else at the table agreed with me by shaking their heads and raising their glasses while toasting our friend Andrea. Usually Drea hated being called by her full name; she thought it was dorky which was why we mostly called her Drea and on an odd occasion we would call her Andi, which she didn't mind much but did prefer Drea after watching The Soprano's and Drea De Matteo's character had become one of her favourites. Put anything with the mafia in front of Drea and she would be entertained for hours on end. It was a life that fascinated her and she couldn't seem to get enough of it – the culture, the rules, the codes and the respect that came from that way of life.

"Thanks guys," Drea admitted as the tears glistened her eyes.

When she had lost her baby – it had hit her hard and I think that it had been one of the very few occasions that I had actually seen her crying. It pained me to see it because there was nothing that she could have done differently; it was clearly just not meant to be but that hadn't stopped her from blaming herself. With a resolve so stubborn that she could have you banging your head against the wall in a matter of seconds; it definitely made her one of a kind.

"You know I don't know what I would do with out you -!" She expressed.

"Good job you'll never have to find out then huh?" Shannon replied reaching for her hand.

After she had lost Daniel – she had sunk in to herself, there was no denying that she was grieving or that she had loved her husband, which I knew a lot of people questioned merely because of the way she and Jeff were with one another but out of friendship some form of love has to grow and that was exactly what she had shared with Daniel.

Daniel had been real good for Drea – he didn't let her get away with everything, he made sure that she allowed him to pamper her now and again – he had known how important it was for her to feel independent after all that she had gone through with her biological Parent's and when Daniel understood that; I knew that he would treat her right. And he had – there had never been a time when any of us had to worry about our friend being with him.

Not only was Daniel one of a kind but he had completely understood what was between Drea and Jeff; he never once tried to interfere and he had never been less that supportive of them. When Drea had explained things to him; he had taken it with face value and he never tried to come between them and that was when I had known that he was a keeper for the girl that I looked of as my little sister.

"Awe you know for a reject you're surprisingly sweet and sensitive sometimes big bear," Drea exclaimed reaching over and pinching his dimples. Shannon quickly rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

As I sat back and watched my friends interacting with one another; I pulled Brittany closer to me as I came to the conclusion that I was one of the luckiest men on the planet. I had great friends who were like Family, I had a wonderful girlfriend on my arm, I had a great career in the WWE and I had a beautiful home to come home to when I had time off. My life really was charmed and couldn't get much better than it already was.

As I watched Drea laughing with Shannon who was teasing her mercilessly I couldn't help but notice the sad tint in her eyes, the way she was fighting to remain in control and happy on the surface when it was clear that her insides were in turmoil. I hadn't lived with the girl and not picked up the signs of her being miserable, or feeling cast aside. I hated to say I told you so but I had told Jeff that he was playing with fire when he got involved with that girl but as always he was as stubborn as a mule and refused to listen or take advice so now that he had no one to talk to other than his 'girlfriend' he had no one to blame but himself.

I loved my brother but sometimes I didn't like him very much especially when he made hair brained ideas like dating Phoebe when he knew that he was still in love with Andrea. I truly didn't understand him sometimes.

After about an hour of laughing and joking with one another, Drea got up from the table and moved out of ear shot.

"What's she doing?" I asked looking to Shannon.

"She's calling the airport to see if they have any cancelations to get her home tonight,"

Damn this was definitely more serious than I had thought. I figured that Drea would sleep on it tonight and realize that my brother was worth fighting for but clearly she wasn't in the mood to forgive him for what he had done and I couldn't really fault her for that. Phoebe had overstepped the mark – she had gone through Drea's things and helped herself to whatever she wanted. That was definitely not right and I knew that deep down Jeff had to know that too.

My brother was most definitely in a hard place – he had his girlfriend on one arm and his best friend on the other – neither seemed particularly bothered by the other and then Phoebe goes and rocks the boat by doing this and thus further putting Jeff in an impossible situation at the end of the day.

I would always have my brother's back – it didn't matter about whether or not I agreed with the way he was handling things. We were Family and that meant that we didn't turn our backs on one another – it was pure and simple but the moment that our Father had taken Drea in to our home; she had become Family too and I had to see things from her point of view. After the past year of trying to get over the loss of her husband and then the death of their unborn baby; Drea had handled things as well as she could have and we were all proud of her for getting back up and throwing herself back in to life. When she had given Daniel's things away to charity she had kept only 2 things – the shirt that Phoebe had been wearing and the last bottle of Daniel's aftershave. Maybe people wouldn't be able to understand that in Drea's mind those things were hers; her last link to her husband and the life that she used to have; but you didn't have to understand it to respect it and the sound of Phoebe telling her to get over had even made my blood boil angrily.

I guess I just wished that my brother would get his head straight and see that trying to have something with Phoebe – or any other woman – was never going to work when he was still deeply in love with Drea. And I wished that Drea would realize that she had to stop being scared of losing anymore people and just let herself give in to what she was still feeling for Jeff.

I swear half the time – we were all left wanting to bang their damn heads together and there had been many a talk of getting them together and locking them in a room until they finally admitted it and got it together. It was frustrating as hell to sit back and watch the way they were both making a mess of their lives.

Looking down to Brittany and I thanked God every day that it hadn't taken us that long to get it together. I had fallen in love with her from the minute that we had met – but I had learned from my past mistakes that I needed to stop jumping head first in to things and because of that Britt and I had decided to become friends first. Everything that we shared because of taking the time to be friends first was a bonus and I just wanted my brother and Drea to be that happy and content. I wanted them to experience all the things that Britt and I experienced and I wanted them to see that going from friends to lovers wasn't as hard as they were making it out to be.

"Well my flight is at 10pm tonight!" Drea announced sitting back down.

Everyone at the table exchanged looks and I could see my friends losing the will to believe that somehow everything was going to work out for the best. At the end of the day – no one knew what was around the corner for Jeff and Drea. We just had to believe that they would finally see that being together was the way they were meant to be.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D From now on this fic will be updated on a Monday and a Friday with the Vampire one being updated on a Wednesday! I am posting early this week because I won't be around on Monday(tomorrow) so I hope that you will enjoy :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	16. Chapter 16 Fans Divided!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 16__ – Fans Divided._**

_**The Following Night;**_

_**Cameron, North Carolina;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

I couldn't be more grateful to the Legend than I was right now – the minute that I had stepped off the plane last night; he had been there waiting for me and I hadn't even needed to finish asking if I could stay with him – before he said that he was more than happy to have me around again. We had spent today at Jeff's place packing up my things and transporting them all back to the only real home that I had ever known. Thankfully Kimo and Yuk and Johnny were around to help me and the Legend.

Kimo had tried bullying me in a joking way to go out with them tonight. I wasn't really up to it – I felt like I had just lost my best friend and the thought of going out just wasn't a good idea for me. I wouldn't have been much company anyway.

The Legend and I were having a good time – I loved being around Gil; he always managed to make me laugh and make me feel better regardless of what was going on. We had ordered out for some food and we were relaxing in the front room of his home.

"I do believe that he will come around sugar," Gil stated as he looked at me while I loaded up my laptop.

"You know what Pops; I am past caring – if he wants to be with someone like her then he isn't who I thought he was in the first place,"

I watched as he sucked his teeth and bit his lip; I knew that sometimes I just spat things out without thinking them through and I had to remember that Gil was Jeff's biological Father and that meant that his first priority was to his son. Despite the fact that Gil had never treated me as anything other than a biological child. There was no doubt in my head that he was an amazing man who had given me so much when he hadn't really needed too.

"I'm sorry -!"

"For what?" He asked me turning the radio down and looking at me.

"I didn't mean to put you in the position that I just did – Jeff's your son -!"

"Hey come on now sugar – since when have I ever taken sides whenever you and Jeff had lover's tiffs before?" He chuckled heartily and winked at me.

"You know – you make me laugh Pops!" I giggled bowing my head so that I could hide behind my hair as I pulled up The Hardy Show website.

After we had reset the website and revamped the show; Matt had asked me to be one of the moderators on the site to ensure that everything was run correctly and without hassle between members. Usually the members were respectful and followed the rules that had been set in place but now and again there would be a member who would step out of line but the minute they were warned they reined it in.

I loved the fact that the guys made us girls a huge part of the show; Brittany was in charge of the shipping and distribution and customer service section of the site. I was in charge of running the boards and Claire was in charge of putting the new episodes up. It was a group effort for all of us and we enjoyed the fact that we got to be a part of it.

Once I signed in; I checked the private messages that I had, replied to them and then made my way in to the boards to ensure that everyone had been staying within the rules. Instantly my eyes landed on a thread entitled; Drea V's. Phoebe. Curiosity got the better of me so I pulled the page up, lighting a cigarette before I started to read.

_EnigmaticLife01 – My belief is that Jeff and Drea are meant to be together. I can't stand the sight of that fake assed wannabe Phoebe! Jeff needs to remember who has stuck by his side and remember who his best friend is._

_Carrie-Bell – Are you crazy? Drea and Jeff are best friends – it isn't so easy to make the transition from friends to lovers. I wish Jeff and Phoebe all the best!_

_Becky88 – Yes it really is hard to make the transition but I truly believe that Drea and Jeff could do it. You only have to look at them together to see that there is chemistry there and that isn't something that they can hide._

_After all that Drea has been through in the past year – I think it is only now a matter of time before she and Jeff get together. They are meant to be – just look at this picture and see the way Jeff is lost in her eyes and the way Drea is just looking at him as if he's the only man on the planet. Phoebe needs to step aside with all the grace and class that we know Drea has._

Below the comment was a photo of Jeff and me taken in Raleigh airport not long after Daniel had died. I had driven Jeff to the airport so that he could catch his flight to go to work. We had been talking about birthing plans and we were so lost in one another's eyes; we were excited and I had felt so safe in the knowledge that Jeff was going to help me raise my daughter.

After I had stared at the photo for at least half an hour wondering where those days had gone, wondering why it all had to change now. I continued to scroll down the first page of 10 until I came across another comment that caught my eye.

_Nickelbackgirl02 – I agree with Becky88 – Jeff and Drea are so right for one another – you can see it in the way they are with each other. I have been lucky enough to meet Jeff a couple of times and Drea has always been there – she is so sweet and really understanding of the career that her best friend has that there is no sign of her resenting any of us; hell she even took a picture of me and Jeff together for me._

_I hope that Jeff comes to his senses soon and realizes that the girl he is meant to be with is Drea and he knocks that Drea wannabe to the curb._

_WrestlingRKO – You guys are forgetting 2 fundamental points in this situation – 1 – its really none of our business in who Jeff dates just as long as he is happy and 2 – if Jeff wanted to be with Drea he would have done something about it long before now! Y'all need to get a life and invest so much time and interest in that instead of passing judgment on people that you don't actually know!_

_Jeff's_Luver – Well the point is completely mute because Jeff is going to marry me!_

_Matt_Supporter – My God Jeff's_Luver; you need to get a life! If you even knew anything about Jeff – you would know that he isn't in to marriage; so maybe you don't know all that much about Jeff after all. _

_As far as the topic goes I have been one of the very few people who have actually met Phoebe and I have to say that she really tries too hard to be like Drea that it's actually quite sad._

_WWERox – I hate Drea – she is so up herself and she never looks like she's smiling or having a good time. I personally don't know why Jeff insists on keeping her around – he should stick with Phoebe; she's hot!_

Well I guess I couldn't have everyone's support – Gil had taught me one thing; you can't make everyone happy all of the time. Clearly the fans were divided on the subject but one person had been completely true – it was none of their business. Jeff would choose who he was going to choose because he had never done anything to make anyone happy.

Everything about him was his own doing; his look, his attitude, his sense of humour and his personality was all his own. I could safely say that there was no one else on this planet who was like my best friend – my ex best friend. It still pained me to think about not being around Jeff anymore because when I was around him; I felt like a much better person but I wouldn't be treated with such little respect from his girlfriend.

So for the next hour or so I worked my way through the thread and deleted some of the nastier posts; even nasty ones about Phoebe – see I could get past it and I started giggling to myself.

"What's so funny cup-cake?" Gil asked turning his attention away from his guitar and looking at me.

"Oh nothing Pop's – please don't stop playing! I always feel safe when I hear you playing!"

The smile came to his face but he went straight back to playing and I just sat watching him for a little while. The man had done an amazing job with the boys and with me when he really didn't have to. I had been blessed to have the support of a best friend who would walk through fire for me and as I watched his Father playing the guitar, I came to the conclusion that I had been a little too harsh. I didn't want to lose Jeff – I didn't want to play right in to Phoebe's hands and give her exactly what she obviously wanted, which was me out of the picture.

Going back to the comments and reading more about how the fans figured that I should fight for Jeff because Phoebe wasn't good enough for him, she wasn't me and if she thought dressing like me would make her who I was – then she would be sorely mistaken. They could see that Phoebe was trying to be me and that she was trying all that she could to try and push me out.

Then of course there were those who were against me – they thought that I had, had my chance with Jeff and had blown it so I had no right to be jealous about Phoebe who in their opinions was far more beautiful than I was.

With no disrespect – those people didn't have a clue about what I had been through, they didn't know the true depth of mine and Jeff's friendship and until they walked a mile in our shoes then they couldn't possibly understand and once I had thought that out of my system, I could see it for what it was worth – Jeff was an important man to his fans, because he had always been upfront about everything and he never tried to manipulate things to his advantage and people respected that he was a real person and never forgot his roots.

Thankfully there were no need to remove too many posts and there was no sign of anything so nasty that would warrant warnings being issued. Placing a little eye on the subject to let the members know that it was being monitored, I went back to checking over the rest of the board and thankfully the people that I had placed in charge while I had been away had done a good job. Once I was happy with the board, I signed in to my e-mail account and quickly checked through my e-mails, replied to the important ones and then logged off and just relaxed while the Legend continue to play his guitar. I couldn't stop the smile from coming to my face as he launched in to one of my favourite songs that he did – Randy Travis' Diggin' up Bones. Slowly my mind began to wonder and all I could think about was the fact that this was my home, I belonged here and I wouldn't let some little tramp push me out just because she felt the need to copy everything that I said and did and wore. I was stronger than that and I would fight for my best friend.

With my mind made up about not walking away from my best friend and resolved to waiting until Jeff came home, I let my eyes close and slowly drifted in to a restful sleep.

_**Mexico City;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

When Drea had left without saying goodbye to me; I knew that we were definitely ripping apart. There was nothing that I could do from here, I just had to wait until I got home and hope that she was still at home so that we could talk about this. But before I could do all of that – I needed to tell Phoebe that we were over because after thinking all of what she had done; I knew that there was no way that I could be with someone who was like that.

Drea meant way too much to me for me to actually sit back and let it continue; I just wish that it hadn't taken me so long to realize that. I was still very much in love with her and I needed to tell her that I couldn't live without her anymore.

Ever since we had argued on the beach all I had been able to think about was the fact that we had kissed all those years ago. The kind of kiss that I had been searching for since – it had been soft, it had been full of passion and it felt more right than anything I had ever experienced before.

Phoebe had headed done to the shop to get me some smokes – ever since it had all blown up she had been super nice and accommodating to every need that I mentioned. I was pacing with thoughts running rife through my head; I couldn't wait to tell her it was over, I needed to get it out of the way and I needed her to know that what she had done was not something that I would tolerate.

As I paced and thought about how much of a mess that I had made of my life; my foot accidently kicked one of Phoebe's bags and knocked it over. Cursing myself as a few items tumbled on to the floor, I knelt down and started stuffing the things back in but my eye caught sight of Drea's one time multi-coloured hair. Lifting the photo and realising that it was one of Drea's favourites of her and Daniel but what met my eyes made my stomach turn in anger, disgust and disbelief. Clearly the photo had been photo-shopped; over where Daniel's face should have been was Phoebe's face.

Now I wasn't a prejudiced man; I figured that people had the right to do what made them happy and if Phoebe was in to Drea then that was cool but I certainly didn't appreciate how she had gone about getting close as everything seemed to slip in to space.

There was the fact that she hadn't been able to hold a conversation that didn't centre on Drea.

There was the fact that I had caught her openly staring at my best friend a few times.

There was the fact that she had never seemed all that interested in sex.

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Drea had known and that was why she hadn't gotten along with her. As I pulled everything out of the bag and looking at more items of Drea's cloths in my hands, I felt psychically sick at the thought of what I had done. This was all my fault and I couldn't believe that Drea hadn't knocked my fucking head off for being a complete moron and letting my dick make my decisions for me.

The sound of the key in the door distracted me and told me that she was back, I stuffed everything back in to her bag before throwing myself on to the bed just as the door closed behind her. Looking up and making eye contact at her – it was like seeing her for the first time. Everyone was right; she was a poor knock off of Drea and she was clearly in need of attention. I can't believe that I hadn't noticed it before but here I was looking at her and thinking that I must have been crazy or taken a really hard knock to the head at work.

I had absolutely no fucking idea as to why I had even made comparisons against the 2 of them when Drea was – as always – in a league of her own.

"Here you go handsome!" She purred just the same way that Drea did and suddenly hearing it on her made my skin crawl until I was literally swallowing down my sickness.

I quickly lit up a cigarette and inhaled on it as if my life depended on it. I knew that I had to find a way to deal with this sensitively because there was no saying what she was capable of.

"Thanks," I choked out once I had inhaled all that I possibly could. "Listen Pheebs can you sit down for a minute, I need to talk to you,"

"Sure baby," She smiled that award winning smile and I say award winning because she had me completely fooled in to thinking that it was indeed me that she wanted to be with when all along it was my best friend that she was trying to get too.

As I stood before her thinking about what I was going to say, I didn't know whether or not I should mention the fact that I had found the photos and the cloths or whether I should just tell her that I didn't feel like it was working anymore because that wouldn't be too hard to believe she already knew that my friends and Family hated her. And she knew that I was super close to them, it wasn't like it would be coming from no where, and she surely had to know that I would eventually realize that I would have to choose.

"Phoebe, I am sorry but I really can't see this working out -!" I decided that I wanted to talk to Drea before I confronted Phoebe about what she had done.

"What? Why? What did I do wrong?"

Where the hell do I start? I questioned myself.

"You – you just – its not you – I mean I am going to be really busy over the coming months with work and I need to start focusing more on my career so that when I leave; I don't mess up my chances of coming back should I even want too you know?"

"But I can -!"

"Pheebs I'm not going to have much free time, in fact I am gonna be training all the time that I'm not on the road,"

"Oh!" I watched the way her face fell and if I hadn't seen what I had; I would have believed that she was truly upset by it. _"So it isn't anything to do with Drea?"_

"What do you mean? Drea is my best friend but she hasn't influenced my decision to end this relationship!" I explained and adding in my own mind that it was her that had put the final nail in the coffin.

"_I don't believe you – you really think that I haven't noticed the way you look at her, or the way you hang on every word she says -!"_I spat back now believing that Drea had been well within her rights to act the way she had.

"Whoa hold on a second – I didn't hold on her every word when she attacked you yesterday!"

Phoebe turned completely silent while I moved to the phone and called down to the front desk and requested another single room for my ex to sleep in for the remainder of her stay with us. I couldn't have her in here and I couldn't put her on the street so I pulled out my credit card and paid for the room before thanking the receptionist and then hung up.

"_Thanks Jeff!" _She spat sarcastically at me.

"For what?"

_"For making me feel like a prostitute by placing money on the stand before you leave!" _She literally seethed as she resigned herself to the fact that I wasn't going to back down on the situation.

I wanted her out of here and I didn't care if I never saw her again. The girl had lied to me, she had completely used me to get close to the person that she wanted and there was no way that I could ever make it up to Drea for acting like a complete asshole. I just had to hope that she would listen and find a way of forgiving me for all that had been said and done between us lately.

By the time Phoebe had packed her things up and moved out of the room, the night sky had began to turn dark and I was beat. Flopping back on the bed and I stared at the ceiling but sleep wouldn't come. All I could think about was the fact that I had royally fucked things up but at least Drea and I were single at the same time now and I had to find a way to make this happen because from now on it was only Drea.

It had always been Drea – even when I refused to acknowledge it. There was no escaping the feelings I had for my best friend and I wouldn't change that for the world now.

Eventually with my thoughts firmly on Drea – I slipped in to a deep and peaceful, Drea filled dream.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	17. Chapter 17 Checking In!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 17__ – Checking In._**

**_The Following Night; __Mexico City;_**

_**Brittany's POV;**_

After Drea had headed back to Carolina – things had died down and we were trying to make sure that we kept an eye on Phoebe to ensure that she hadn't taken anything else from our friend. We knew that Drea was a very private person; she didn't like people poking around in her business unless she asked them too and she hated the thought of Phoebe wearing her husband's shirt. I had hardly been able to believe what she had said to Drea when they had argued – getting over the loss of someone that you promised to spend your life with wasn't something that would just happen over night; if it were going to happen at all. We all knew that there was the strong possibility that Drea would never fully get over the loss of her husband.

Claire and I were being overly protective of our friend but no one could blame us for that when Drea had been through so much. Phoebe was lucky that we hadn't launched a witch hunt after what she had pulled. The guys always said that when we girls were together it wasn't only just intimidating to people coming in to the group but we were lethal and extremely fierce. There was no way that any of us could argue with that; we were as close as girlfriends could be and the thought of Phoebe pulling her little stunt made me madder than I had been in a long time. And I knew that if it were me facing this situation – my girls would be there for me and fighting my corner just like I was willing to do for Drea right now and for Claire should she ever need it.

Claire and I were sat out on the balcony at mine and Matt's room; while the guys were at the arena doing their show. A bottle of Jack Daniels was on the table and 2 glasses lay half full next to it as we talked about what had transpired here the previous night.

"You know you do have to wonder what happened to her to have made her so psychotically deranged!" Claire admitted, as she handed me a cigarette.

"I really don't care – what she did was wrong and she knows that. I mean she knows what she's doing you know? She has been doing this to Drea since high school and my only thought is I wonder if she has been doing it all the time since they left school -!"

"Do you mean like she's been hiding in the shadows just watching and trying to figure out the best way to get in?"

"That's exactly what I mean – the girl is obviously out of her crazy mind. I mean I really don't know what she has been trying to achieve with what she has been doing but whatever it is – I don't like it and if Jeff decides that he is gonna continue dating her then I can see our bond breaking with no chance of us ever getting to go back to what it was!"

The thought of this girl having been watching us for God knew how long made my stomach turn desperately in my stomach. I couldn't get past the thought that maybe when we had all thought that we were alone – she could have been hiding out of sight just watching us having fun and being carefree like we always were when we were around each other. Then of course, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she might have been at Daniel's funeral and we would have never even noticed her.

I couldn't bring myself to mention that single thought out loud – I was worried what it would do to Drea if she decided that she was going to confront the girl. The funeral had been a very intimate gathering – only close friends and his Family had been there and it had made for a beautiful and sincere final goodbye.

"I can't think about this anymore," Claire admitted shivering slightly and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. Thinking about what could have been happening wouldn't make any of us feel any better about what had gone down here with the 2 women. "So I saw you talking to Randy earlier today – was he asking about Drea?"

"Yeah – he is slightly smitten I have to admit," I giggled softly.

I was glad that Randy and I were still as close as we had ever been in the past when I was travelling with him. It had also been a long time since he had been interested on having a repeat performance with a woman; but he had confessed that he and Drea hadn't slept together. I had listened as he talked about her and how much she had captured his interest. Usually he didn't much care about seeing women after one night – whether or not they had slept together.

After I had gotten together with Matt – Randy hadn't been overly impressed by that and for the most part; we hadn't talked to one another for about 8 months; I stopped working for him and started working with Matt and Jeff, I hardly acknowledged him when we bumped in to one another and there was no way that I was backing down from what I wanted.

Matt and I had been so close as friends for so long that I knew that us getting together would be weird for some people but I thought for sure that my brother would have been the one that I could trust to accept it and welcome Matt in to the Family but no – he had gone off on a rampage about how Matt was too old for me, about how stupid we looked together and about how the wrestling life wasn't going to make things easy as if he thought that I hadn't been living this life for the majority of my life. It seemed like he was quick to forget how much I remembered about how often Dad was gone and hearing Mom crying sometimes at night because she missed him so desperately.

What Randy didn't seem to understand was the fact that I had always said that I wanted to be behind the scenes in the wrestling business and that I would always be attracted to wrestlers or people within the profession so that I could work through the things that Mom hadn't been able too.

"Meaning?" Claire asked me as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

"Well let's just say that he wants me to pass his number on to Drea," I smiled at my friend as I slid my phone open and pressed the right key to pull up Drea's number,

"Speak!" Drea answered her phone in the same manner that she always did.

"Hey honey – how are you feeling?" Claire asked in to the phone which I had placed on loudspeaker and placed on the small table that was placed between us.

"Hey guys – I'm ok thanks; just chilling here with the Legend and feeling calmer than I have in the longest time – what about-choo guys? How's it going?"

"We're glad to hear that you are feeling better sweetie – we were super worried about you. We did try to get a flight back to Cameron today but there was nothing available," I admitted.

We had felt like we were betraying our friend by staying here and watching the way that Phoebe now seemed intent on complaining about anything and everything. Clearly she had realized that she had mixed things up and she was being super accommodating towards Jeff – anything that he wanted; she would rush off and try to get it for him. It was slightly sickening to watch actually and I knew that Shannon and Matt felt pretty much the same way as Claire and I did.

After Drea had headed home – the 4 of us had sat in Shannon and Claire's room talking about the situation and we had all expressed that there was something psychotically off with Phoebe. We couldn't figure it out but there was definitely something about her that wasn't right.

"Awe I love you guys but you really don't need to come back here – I have everything I need. You guys need to stay and spend time with your men, I will still be here when you get back – I'm not planning on going anywhere – she may have pushed me away from Jeff but she ain't pushing me completely out!" Drea confessed stubbornly and I was glad to hear that tone in her voice; it meant that she was still willing to fight for her life.

"Well we're glad to hear that, we've been worried!" Claire admitted honestly for both of us.

"Well trust me – there's no need. The Legend has been keeping me company along with Dee; we've been cooking, we've been chilling out and sharing deep and meaningfuls with one another and I've been relaxing while listening to him playing the guitar; it's been just like a vacation to be honest!"

I had to admit that she really did sound calmer than she had in the past few months – it had been difficult just sitting back and seeing her sinking and shying away from her best friend, not to mention the way she seemed intent on working all the hours that she could just so she didn't have to be around the 2 of them. We all saw what she was doing even though she denied it but it was clear that she was getting back to her normal self and I would hate to be in Phoebe's shoes if they were ever faced with one another again because Drea's real persona wouldn't stand for the things that the tired and work hard Drea had.

Dee was the Legend's new girlfriend and they had been together a few months – the woman put up with so much from the Legend's dirty jokes to the boys playing practical jokes etc. I knew that Drea had gotten particularly close to the woman – and she felt like she was definitely the one for the Legend to settle down with.

"Well we're glad to hear that and I have some news for you -!"

"What?" She asked instantly.

"Well my brother has asked me to pass on his number to you?" I asked her and I felt my heart thunder when she turned completely silent for a few moments.

"Yeah? That's cool honey – I would like to hang out with him again; he was super sweet when we hung out the other night,"

I quickly relayed the number to her and we chatted back and forth for a little while and listened to all that Drea and the Legend and Dee had been up too since Drea had arrived back. From moving her things up to the old Family home where she had practically grown up and then they had just sat around and talked for a while before Dee asked her to help her with some baking and she really did seem to be in her element.

I had to agree that it sounded like she was doing a lot better now that she had put some distance between herself and the situation. I just hoped that it wasn't going to be a permanent space that couldn't be fixed with time.

After about an hour of chatting my phone started beeping saying that the battery was coming to its end, so Claire and I said our goodbyes to our friend and hung up safe and happy in the knowledge that she was indeed alright and safe.

_**Claire's POV;**_

It really bugged the hell out of me to know that Drea had left because of what Phoebe had done. The girl was clearly out of her tiny little mind to think that she could just do anything that she pleased just because of who she was dating. With everything that I am – I hoped and prayed that Jeff would see the light soon and tell her to take a long hike off a short cliff.

I had been so proud of Drea when she hadn't knocked the girl's head in the other day when she had found her wearing Daniel's shirt. None of us could figure out what exactly was happening with the girl that Jeff had brought into the fold. I personally wanted to knock her teeth down her throat; just as much as Brittany did. We weren't the type of girls who took lightly to either one of us getting hurt or anything else that someone wanted to try and pull. Phoebe had made a huge mistake if she thought that she could come in here and just do as she pleased. We wouldn't stand for it – and we had no problems in telling her exactly what we thought of her.

"So do you think she'll call him?" I asked Brittany.

2 nights ago; I had watched as Drea and Randy Orton getting along as if they had known one another their whole lives. Brittany had seemed ok with the way things had been going and she seemed more than willing to pass on the message that her brother had asked her to give to Drea.

"I really don't know to be honest – I think it was fine for her when it was just one night because I think that if Drea is gonna get involved in a real relationship with anyone – it's going to be Jeff!"

"I definitely agree with you on that one,"

There had been many a night that Shannon and I had talked about what Jeff and Drea were trying to do by just circling one another. It was frustrating to stand back and watch them denying themselves what could be the relationship that lasted a lifetime for them both.

You just couldn't be as close to someone as Jeff and Drea were without having feelings – just like we all knew they had – for one another. There was the fact that they were always around one another, then there was the fact that they slept in the same bed with one another and there was the fact that nothing seemed to embarrass either of them. I knew that I definitely had wanted to bang their damn heads together at one point.

As had Brittany. As had Matt. As had the Legend. As had Shannon and as had all of our other friends.

"I wished that they would just admit it to one another – I know that it's hard for them both because they don't want to ruin their friendship but in all honesty – they are so close that the thought of their friendship being ruined is just ridiculous to me," Brittany admitted as she handed me a cigarette.

"And me!" I admitted nodding my head before lighting my cigarette. "I just wish that Jeff would see that little skank for what she really is!"

"Oh my God – I think that men in space can see that leech for what she is!" Britt giggled softly as she looked out over the beautiful City that we were visiting.

"Yeah blind men could figure that one out!" I admitted joining in on the bitching session that I knew was going to erupt about this stupid girl.

Sometimes I knew that we could be a little hard on anyone who either dated Jeff or Drea – but it was mainly because we couldn't understand why they were pretending that there was nothing between them when everyone could see it. It would be funny if it weren't so annoying and frustrating. I had tried talking to both of them and everyone else had tried talking to both of them but neither was willing to take the advice we had given them and just lay it on the line.

"There is definitely something about her right? I'm not just seeing something that isn't there am I?" Britt asked me.

"Not at all sweetie – I can see it, everyone can see that there is something completely off about her. I don't really know what it is but there definitely is something that can't be fingered,"

To say that we were surprised to hear that Phoebe hadn't wanted to come and hang out with us when Jeff left for the arena. We thought for sure that we would be burdened with her. I guess all the hoping that she wouldn't want to hang with us had paid off.

Shannon had been pretty vocal on his belief that something might have happened because when he had passed by Jeff and Phoebe's room earlier he had heard them arguing pretty loudly from the confines of the room.

"So do you think that she might already be on her way out?" I asked.

"From what Shannon said – I definitely hope so. I mean it would definitely make things easier and there would be no need to try and remain friendly with everyone. My face has been beginning to ache from all the smiling that I had been doing around that girl but even if she isn't on her way out – there's no way that I am going to be smiling at her anymore after what she did yesterday!"

"I still can't believe that she did that!"

"I can – you have to see the way she's jealous every time Drea and Jeff are around one another!"

"Yeah I noticed that but I didn't think that she was stupid enough to actually steal cloths from Drea let alone the only shirt that Drea has left of Daniel – its not like she can plead ignorance; she knew exactly what she was doing!"

"You've definitely got that right – I mean we all know how much she seems to idolize Drea but that was low even by her standards!"

"Why do you think she idolizes Drea so much though?" I wondered out loud.

"I don't know – I mean from all accounts; Drea was pretty popular in school; maybe she just sees Drea as the girl who has everything handed to her – or maybe its something else altogether," Britt admitted.

Shannon had explained to me how popular Drea had been in school; that she was apart of a lot of the school clubs; drama, debate and prom committee. It had been hard to believe that she hadn't hung out with the guys in school – it was almost like she had 2 separate lives that were running along side one another but never meshed.

"Honestly I just wish that she'd fuck off now!"

"You and the rest of us honey!" Britt giggled heartily. "I know its driving Matt crazy to see the way Jeff is fucking up everything for that girl when he knows without a shadow of a doubt that he is meant to be with Drea,"

What made me laugh was the fact that Matt and Brittany had been exactly like Jeff and Drea were; they had formed a really tight friendship where they confined in one another about everything – they spent all their spare time together, they stayed at each other's houses and they knew one another in and out. They had been refusing to admit that they didn't want to mess up the best friendship that either of them had ever had. It had actually been Drea and Jeff who had locked them in the basement at Matt's house and refused to let them out until they had gotten their acts together.

"What's got you smiling honey?" Britt asked me.

"I was just thinking about how you and Matt finally admitted how you felt and gave in to it,"

"God don't remind me – I can't even believe that we had been so stubborn for so long!"

"You don't think that, that might work on Jeff and Drea do you?" I asked thoughtfully.

"Believe me honey – I had been thinking a lot about that over the past 2 months,"

Maybe it would be a good idea to think about it and talk to the others about it because if anything else had become apparent it was that things really couldn't carry on the way that they had been.

Phoebe was messing everything up and I for one didn't want to have to sit around and watch that happen. I wanted her gone and I wanted it done by Jeff who could see her for what she was because we knew that the more we tried to push him to see it – the more he would resent all of us for meddling in his business.

Silently I made a note of mentioning to Shannon about the idea of locking the pair of them in a room and refusing to let them out until they got their damn acts together.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	18. Chapter 18 Why Couldn't I See It!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 18__ – Why Couldn't I See It?_**

_**2 Days Later, North Carolina;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

It definitely hadn't been easy to have had Phoebe around after I had ended things with her. There was the glares that could have struck me down had they had the power, snide remarks that my friends and Family were picking up on and the way she was flirting with everyone in sight. It was embarrassing to sit back and watch but I knew that if I stepped in it would look to her like I had changed my mind and there definitely wasn't one inch of me that regretted breaking up with her.

All I could think about was what she had done. The shirt had suddenly made me feel like it wasn't such a big deal. There was the photo; and now I was wondering what else there was. I couldn't seem to shake it free from my head and as I pulled up to the curb outside of Phoebe's apartment building, I had a feeling that I was about to walk in to some form of twilight zone episode. I had come over to drop off her things that she had left at my place.

Matt and Shannon had offered to come with me but in all honesty – if this was going to be as bad as my gut told me it was going to be I needed to do it alone. Regardless of what had happened; I still didn't want to embarrass the girl.

Keeping the thoughts of doing the right thing; I let myself out of my truck and grabbed the box of things from the passenger seat. I still couldn't believe that I had fallen for her little act – the girl was clearly unstable and maybe I should have brought someone along with me – God knows what she was capable of.

As I made the trip in to the front entrance and waited for the elevator – my thoughts turned to Drea. When I got home; I had been somewhat disappointed when I found that Drea had moved out. Once I had called my Dad he told me that she was staying with him for the moment; I was upset but I understood because I had acted like a complete dick towards her lately.

Matt had given me a talk that day in the gym about how I had dumped my best friend when the hint of pussy was on the menu. Of course I had denied it to the death but now that I thought about it; I really had dumped her for a piece of skirt and I felt bad about that now. I knew Drea well enough to know that I would have my work cut out for me – I would be surprised if I wouldn't have to get down on my hands and knees and beg for her forgiveness. And she had every right to demand that of me; especially when it was clear to me now that Drea had seen that something was off from the very beginning. That was the only reason that Drea would have been so off with her from the very start.

All that I could really hope for was that Drea would forgive me quickly and realize that I had indeed seen the errors of my way.

Knocking on the front door of my ex-girlfriends door – I waited for her to answer but after a few moments it was clear that she either wasn't going to or she just wasn't home. On the off chance; I tried the door to find that it was unlocked so I let myself in. It felt weird because Phoebe had never invited me in to her house; she had never let us stay there – we were always hanging out at my place and we always slept at my place too.

I closed the door behind me and turned on the light since the place was shrouded in darkness because all the blinds and curtains were closed. What met my eyes stunned me for a few moments and because I had been thinking about her non stop since she left I thought that I was seeing things. Every single corner of the walls were covered with photos of Drea. They were plastered from roof to ceiling and I was suddenly feeling sick to my back teeth at the confirmation that this girl was crazier than anyone could have predicted.

Drea on her own at City Limits, shopping in Wal-Mart, up at Matt's house, hanging out washing, coming out of the Doctor's, and just generally out and about.

Drea with different people; me, Matt, Shannon, Britt, Claire, Daniel, Kimo, Yuk and anyone else who happened to hang out with us and when my eyes landed on the photos of her hanging out and laughing with my Dad – I felt sick.

I had brought this psycho in to our lives and I had put everyone I love in danger. Clearly Phoebe was unhinged; from what I could see this had been going on for a lot longer than I had actually known her. There were periodic photos of a younger Drea and then photos of Drea and Daniel together.

What had I done?

Slowly I moved through the apartment to find that the whole space was full of photos of Drea. Some had me cut out of them and Phoebe's head photo-shopped in. The sickness was rising in me as I noticed the very same photo that I had found in Phoebe's bag placed in a photo frame on the mantel as if it were some form of collectable memory of the 2 of them together. Moving slowly to the bedroom with fear bubbling in the pit of my stomach at what I might find, I pushed the door open and wasn't surprised to find more of the same decoration on the walls. What made my stomach drop was the sight of a pile of Drea's cloths lying on the bed – I couldn't tell if they really were Drea's cloths or if Phoebe had just gone out and purposely bought the exact same items. I didn't remember Drea mentioning any of her other cloths being missing so I figured that the latter was true.

Placing the box of things on the bed, I quickly let myself out of the apartment and stood in the hallway for a few moments to just think about what I had just been witness too.

Should I call the cops?

Should I tell Drea?

I didn't really know what the cops could do because it wasn't like Phoebe had actually threatened Drea's life. For all I knew she was just fanatic about my best friend. It wasn't hard to believe because Drea was amazing – but this somehow made my stomach churn and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was more than wrong. Phoebe definitely wasn't just a fanatic; she was evidently disturbed.

Did I want to upset Drea by telling her?

Drea had more than enough on her plate – she had already had a huge fall out with Phoebe and if she were to find out about this; I had a feeling that no one would be able to stop her from having it out with the girl. That wasn't what Drea needed. But then it felt too much like deceiving her to not tell her what I had witnessed.

I just wished that I could go back in time and know to ignore Phoebe when she had come up to talk to me. If I had just said excuse me to her that night – then maybe I wouldn't be stood here in this position now. I could have already gotten what I had always wanted and just maybe Drea and I could be happy but then again Drea would never know about the danger that she was in.

No I had to tell her – Drea was a strong and independent woman and she could look out for herself. Hell most of the guys I knew were scared of her sheer force and power. When we had taught her how to wrestle; she had taken to it like a duck to water and that had opened up avenues in other forms of martial arts. My best friend definitely didn't need to be looked after and once I had remembered that I knew that it was time to go and tell her everything – from me dumping Phoebe, to finding out what I just had and for saying sorry for all that I had put her through.

Hurrying out of the apartment complex, I lit a cigarette and climbed back behind the wheel of my truck and wondered where Phoebe had gone too. I had gone straight home to collect her things and headed straight over here – it hadn't taken more than 45 minutes to do so. Maybe she had gone in search of Drea since she seemed to be so obsessed with her. Turning the key in the ignition, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of my Father's – I didn't care that he had told me to give her a little time. I needed to see her and talk to her. I needed to apologize for all that I had done to her lately and just hope to God that she listened and found someway to forgive me.

Forty minutes later, I pulled in to the entrance to my Dad's place and drove the long driveway to the front of his property. Killing the engine I sat here for a few moments and wondered what was waiting for me inside. I had behaved appallingly that I wouldn't blame Drea if she slammed the door in my face. But what she would never be able to understand was that she had broken my heart when she married Daniel – I had wanted nothing more than for her to tell me that she loved me and she would end things with Daniel so we could be together but when that hadn't happened – I had wallowed in my own self pity for so long that I was pissing off everyone else in my life.

It had been my own fault – I had told her that I thought that we should be friends; I had told her that I didn't want to ruin our friendship and I had told her that I wished her all the best for her relationship with Daniel. I hadn't known then that they would end up getting married and that I would end up resenting the man for something that he hadn't done wrong.

Finally getting over myself, I pushed the door open and made my way to the front door and let myself in. Instantly I could hear the laughing coming from the kitchen and the smell of baking muffins filled the house giving it a homey feel to it. Seeing my Dad sat in his chair in the front room so I figured the laughing was coming from Drea and Dee – Dad's new girlfriend.

"Hey Dad!" I greeted him quietly as I moved to the sofa and threw myself down.

"Jeff I told you – Drea doesn't want to see you -!"

"I could care less Pops. This is going to be sorted right now if it's the last thing that I do!" I admitted stubbornly.

"Alright but its your balls son," He chuckled as he got to his feet and disappeared in to the kitchen only to hear the back door open and close a few minutes later which meant 1 of 2 things – either Drea had refused point blank to talk to me and had taken off or my Dad and Dee had headed out to give us some privacy.

I smoked my cigarette all the way down to the filter and then stubbed it out before Drea walked in to the living room looking as breath taking as normal. The long blond locks were tied high on top of her head and she was dressed simply in a black tracksuit that clung to her as if it were a second skin; showing off the perfect shape of her body and my heart began to speed up as if it had a mind of its own.

Neither of us said a word for a few moments, I couldn't seem to stop myself from staring at her and drowning in just how beautiful she looked stood before me – completely devoid of make up and looking just like the type of girl who lived next door – the kind of girl that could make you feel so warm inside by just one tender glance. I couldn't believe that I had ever thought that Phoebe could ever measure up to my best friend – in my eyes – they weren't even in the same league as one another. Drea was so much more than Phoebe could ever hope to be.

"So what do you want?" Drea asked her stare turning cold and her voice became tense and tight in the matter of seconds.

_**Drea's POV;**_

My first instinct when the Legend told me that Jeff was here to talk to me was to run right out the back door and find somewhere to lay low until Jeff decided to go home but Dee had caught me before I could pull the door open and told me that I needed to do this – that if I wanted this resolved then I would have to talk to Jeff at some point and sooner was better than later.

The minute that my eyes fell on him, my heart leaped with a jolt just because of how much I wanted him. I was happy to see him but he had hurt me bad – I didn't know what he thought coming here would achieve because I just wasn't ready to forgive him.

"Drea I wanted to come and say that I was sorry -!"

"Fine you've said sorry – now if you don't mind I am kind of busy -!" I began but was cut off by him.

"Come on baby girl – don't be like that with me!"

Staring at him as if he were something that I had stepped in – I couldn't believe what I had just heard. He didn't want me to be like what with him? It's not like he didn't deserve the cold shoulder that I was prepared to give him but then again it had always been hard for me to deny him anything.

"I really don't know what you expect from me Jeff – you really hurt me and saying sorry just isn't gonna cut it this time," I exclaimed as I leant over to the table and grabbed the Legends roll up tin and helped myself to one of his rolled cigarettes since I was all out of my own.

"I ended things with Phoebe!"

"And what am I supposed to do with that information exactly?"

"I just wanted you to know that things are over with her,"

"Ok well you have told me – I really need to get back to what -!"

"She has photos of you plastered all over her apartment!" He spat out quickly as if he were afraid that he would back out of telling me.

"What do you mean?"

As he explained what he had found when he dropped off her things at her apartment, I could feel my skin beginning to crawl and the sickness rising in me as my thoughts had been confirmed. The girl was completely out of her mind.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what I was supposed to think and that was when I felt my knees shaking frantically under my weight and I quickly moved in to the Legend's chair and sat down with my head resting in my hands. Taking deep breaths I fought to get my breathing back in to some form of normal pattern and that was when I felt Jeff's hand reaching for my leg and where I would have once found it comforting; I could help but feel angry at him.

"Jeff don't!" I muttered trying to keep my voice even.

"Why?"

"Because can't you see this is all your fault?" I spat at him angrily.

If he hadn't started dating that psycho; then she wouldn't have ever gotten close enough to cause all of this damage between us. I couldn't get past the fact that he was the one who had taken her in to our lives and he was the one who had picked her over me – that had been obvious when he stuck up for her when I had caught her wearing Daniel's shirt.

"Now you're the one who has gone silent all of a sudden!" I spat at him. Feeling more angry at the fact that he hadn't said a word to try and defend himself. Still he didn't say a word. "Come on Jeff – you can't just sit there and pretend that you don't feel anything. You brought that psycho in to our lives, you completely misjudged her and now we are all paying the price for the damage her presence has caused and you have to hold your hands up to that!"

As I sat there and stared him down; I could see that he wasn't saying anything because he knew that I was right and that just infuriated me even more. After all that he had said about her, after all the times that he had stuck up for her and after all the times that he had blown me off to be with her – he thought that just sitting there and not saying anything was the way he was going to be forgiven quicker. I couldn't believe him.

"You know what – you should just leave!" I started getting to my feet but he was much quicker than I had ever given him credit for and before I knew it I was in his arms, staring in to those eyes that always managed to turn me to mush.

"I'm not going anywhere until we sort this out Drea!" He whispered resting his head against mine. I was instantly lost, I was drowning in to this man the way I had always drowned in him; I had never been able to fight what I felt for him and when I tried I always ended up knowing that I was fooling myself. "I know this is all my fault. I know that it will take a long time for everyone to forgive me but I am not going anywhere until you agree that you will try to forgive me!"

"Why should I admit that?" I demanded trying to sound strong but knowing that I was coming across as weak.

"Because what we have is more special than you and I can fight!" Slowly his lips moved towards mine and just as the chemistry of his lips sparked towards mine from being so close, I pulled away from him.

"Its not going to be that simple Jeff – you hurt me – you broke my heart and I never thought that you of all people could be capable of something like that. I really don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you!"

"Please Drea don't through away what we-!"

"No Jeff don't stand there and tell me not to throw away what we have because you were the one who made his feelings pretty clear – pussy is more important to you than I have ever been and now I can't stop thinking that maybe that was all that you were after from me -!"

"You know damn well that wasn't what I wanted from you!"

"Do I? I never thought that you would chose a girlfriend over me but you did. How am I supposed to believe you now?" I demanded of him and there was really nothing that he could say to that. "I think that you should – I think that you should go!"

"Fine I will go but I'm not giving up baby girl – you will forgive me and you will put your trust in me again. I promise you that!" He replied placing his lips to my forehead gently before letting me go and moving towards the door and letting himself out.

For a few moments I just stood and stared at the spot where he had just disappeared. I didn't know what to think or what to even say to that. I was worried that I would cave too easily and I was afraid that if I did – it would just happen again when he met someone new.

And then on top of that – I had to worry about Phoebe. God knows what she was capable of let alone having a clue about what she was thinking. If she had learned nothing else then she should know that I was very much in to men – I had never, and probably would never feel attracted to a woman. Jeff was pretty certain that, that was what was on her mind. From the way she had photo-shopped her head in to photos of a romantic nature. That was what scared me the most to be honest.

20 minutes later the front door opened as Gil and Dee fell back in to the house looking flushed and happy as they laughed with one another. I couldn't be happier for my Father – he had met a good woman who didn't take any crap from him or from the boys. It felt almost like I finally had a female Mother figure as she took me under her wing from the minute that we had met. With both of them I didn't even feel like I was missing out on the real deal – my Parent's were nothing to me anymore and they hadn't been for as long as I could remember.

After I had filled them in on what Jeff had said about Phoebe, I retired to my room where I shut myself away to think about what Jeff had said to me. Maybe I was just being too awkward but then again he really had broken my heart and I couldn't forgive that easily. I guess I had been spoiled when it came to Daniel – he had always ensured that I knew how much he loved me – every morning he left a rose lying on my pillow, when he was home he always made me breakfast in bed and he ran around after me. We had rarely fought with one another and when we did – we would always make up before the end of the day because Daniel hated going to bed on an argument.

Slowly the tears filled my eyes once again as I thought about the man that I had lost. I had thought for sure that I would be over him but obviously I wasn't or maybe I just felt lonely because I didn't have my best friend anymore.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	19. Chapter 19 Can You Believe It!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 19__ – Can You Believe It?_**

_**Later That Night;**_

_**Shannon's POV;**_

After Drea had called the girls over to the Legend's house to hang out with her; Claire had come home completely baffled by what she had heard. Matt and I had popped round to see Jeff – after he had told us that he had ended his relationship with Phoebe; we had to offer him support.

We had sat and listened to what our friend had to say – I couldn't believe that he had thought that it would be as simple as just saying sorry to Drea for things to get back on track. Hell I was a man and I knew that it just wasn't as simple as that. Jeff would have to find a way to prove to Drea all over again that he was worth her trust and that their friendship could survive what had happened. In all honesty I didn't know if it could.

I would have said definitely 2 months ago – but so much had been said and so much had been done. Jeff had let Phoebe get away with far too much when it came to Drea. There were the snide comments about Drea being alone, comments about how she may never find another man, then there were the comments about not even being able to carry a baby to term – that one had stung Drea bad; sure no one had been around when Phoebe had said that and Drea refused to tell Jeff – but it had still been uncalled for. Then there were the comments about how Daniel died – Phoebe didn't mind sticking the knife in deeper than it already was with my friend and the more I heard about her, the more I wanted to smack her in to the middle of next year and I wasn't the type of man who hit a woman.

Then there was the fact that Phoebe had become more vigilant in her torment of Drea – dressing like her was becoming a daily occurrence, and then there was the fact that Phoebe had dyed her hair the exact same colour as Drea's. What bothered Drea more than anything was that someone had been up to Daniel's grave and left flowers for him – then what seemed to be a coincidence Phoebe had mentioned to Jeff that her favourite flowers were carnations; which were what had been left at the grave.

Jeff couldn't understand why Drea hadn't greeted him with open arms but he had to remember that Drea was extremely head strong and maybe he had been hanging out with Phoebe too long to have remembered that about his best friend. One thing that I had noticed about Phoebe; she wasn't at all head strong unless it came to Drea obviously. If Jeff said or did something that bothered her; she would let it go where as Drea would have chewed Jeff's ass off for hours. At the end of the day – Jeff needed a woman like that. And he knew that better than any of the rest of us.

"I just can't believe that he thought saying sorry was going to cut it – I mean I always knew that he wasn't a guy who was devoid of the stupid gene but come on you know that just saying sorry was never going to cut it with Drea right?" Claire asked resting her head on my lap as we vegged out in the front room of our home.

The stereo was pumping a mix of our favourite music – Marilyn Manson, Nickelback, Rob Zombie, Stone Sour, Slipknot, Pantera and Down. Between the 2 of us – we had a wide eclectic taste in music.

"Oh absolutely. I think it's more than Jeff has just forgotten what it's like to hang out with Drea; since he has been spending the majority of his time with Phoebe!" I admitted trying to make my girlfriend see what I was trying to say.

"Yeah – mistake number 1 Jeffro!" She muttered.

"1 of many huh?" I enquired wondering exactly what Drea had said to my girlfriend that would explain why she had been so dismissive towards Jeff's attempts to get her to forgive him.

"You know it!"

Well at least that was a start – usually if there were some form of argument between the girls and the guys – the girls would close ranks and that would be it. We wouldn't know what we had done wrong until they wanted us to know. It could prove to be somewhat frustrating but in all honesty; it had never been about anything like this before – so maybe Britt and Claire were as in desperate need to get Drea and Jeff together as Matt and I were.

"So where do you stand on the whole thing?" I asked cautiously.

I didn't want us to fall out over it – because then it would be about more than what it really should be about but I knew how much the girls defended one another and I knew how supportive they were of one another at times like this.

"I think that Drea has every right to make Jeff work for it – just so long as it isn't too long!" She admitted. "I just want them to finally get it together so that we can all be happy and be with whom we're meant to be with you know?"

I couldn't stop myself from nodding in agreement. At least we were on the same page there then. I wanted nothing more than for Jeff and Drea to realize that being together was the only way that either of them was going to be happy in the long run. They were meant to be and the quicker they realized that, the better it would be for the rest of us.

"I really couldn't agree with you more beautiful – I am just glad that we hadn't any of those hassles when we got together -!"

"Just my Parent's huh?" She giggled nervously.

The minute that I had shown my interest in Claire – it was like the vultures descended; we were forever mobbed by not only fans but by the media too until Vince had gotten wind of me being in a serious relationship and he wanted me to do an interview for the WWE magazine. That was around the time that Claire's Parent's had found out and demanded to meet me. It hadn't been what you could call a very friendly meeting. I was told that I was to remain away from their daughter, that I wasn't good enough for her and that I would never be able to provide for her.

Then of course came the way they talked to her – there was no sign of love from them; they were picking at the little food she ate, they picked at the way she ate, and then started in on about how she had to start thinking about losing weight – not bloody likely if I had anything to do with it. Claire was already underweight and they wanted her to diet some more. They were out of their small minds. That night I told her to pack her things that she was coming home with me and she was never going to have to put up with them degrading her again. Of course they tried to put up a fight and I didn't care that we had only been dating for 4 months – I wasn't going to let her stay with them and be dragged down by their small mindedness.

"Yeah well we showed them huh?" I smiled at her happily.

There had never come a time when I had regretted my decision to take her out of that house – it didn't matter that she had gone to live with Drea in the beginning; I was just glad to get her free from their abuse. It just strengthened our connection with one another and now we were here – 6 years down the line and we were stronger than ever.

"We – you did!" She replied reaching her hand to my face and tenderly stroking her thumb across my cheek.

"We did!" I corrected her before my entire body trembled against her.

"We did!" She nodded softly.

It had been a long time before I had managed to get her out of the mind set that they had pushed her in to. For a long time she believed that she was ugly, that she was worthless, and that there was no one out there who would put up with her and then when she started putting on weight she was forever checking the scales in the bathroom for fear of getting fat.

Eventually after she had been around me and Drea for long enough she started including herself in to the group and from there everyone fell in love with her and we all looked out for her as if she were real blood Family.

I had never known that I had such patience before Claire – but I had to show patience and restraint when it came to my girlfriend. The slightest sign of me getting frustrated or angry with her and she'd retreat in to herself and then it was like being back at square one. At least now things were different and she was a strong and independent woman. I had to admit that I had a lot to thank Drea for.

"So what do you think?"

"What do you mean?" She asked pulling away and sitting up so she could reach the table for her cigarettes.

"I mean do you think it's gonna come to them needing an assist in getting together?" I asked as she lit up a cigarette and fell back in to the other corner of the sofa with her feet resting on my legs.

"I don't know babe – all I know is that Drea is still pretty mad at Jeff for what he did and no one can blame her for that especially after how close they were before that little leech came on the scene you know?"

"Speaking of – did Drea tell you what Jeff found at Phoebe's place?" I asked her as she inhaled deeply on her cigarette.

It was at that moment the dogs decided that they were in need of company from us and charged in to the room. With in a matter of seconds; Claire and I were both being smothered by the dogs that we called our babies. It just seemed to grow and grow until now I wasn't even sure of the amount of dogs we actually had.

"Yeah she told us – its crazy isn't it? I mean Jeff should have been more careful but then again he was being led by his cock!"

"He was definitely being led by something other than his brain!" I agreed with Claire.

After we had talked to Jeff – I knew that in his mind he had thought that if he tried to force himself to feel something for someone other than Drea; then he had a bigger chance of getting over her. Unfortunately he had just picked the wrong person but by the time he realized that it was way too late.

I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't freaked out by what Phoebe had in her apartment because if it was as bad as Jeff proclaimed it was then we could have a much more serious problem on our hands at the end of the day. None of us really knew anything about Phoebe and for all we knew she could be a psycho in need of professional help. No matter what; it was obvious that she had a major thing for Drea and we would all have to be on alert from now on.

_**Claire's POV;**_

At least Shannon agreed with me – I knew for a fact that Jeff had been letting little Jeff rule his life when it came to Phoebe. You didn't have to be a genius to work it out. Personally I thought that Drea was being too soft on him – if it had been me I would have been screaming at him. There was definitely no way that I would have sat down and listened to what he said but as Drea pointed out; she had, had time to calm down after what had happened so letting him talk had seemed only fair.

When Drea had explained about what Jeff had found, I felt sick – from what he had told her, Phoebe's house was covered from roof to floor in photos of Drea at all different stages of her life not to mention with all of us. It was more than creepy knowing that we had been photographed at times when we hadn't even realized that we were being watched. Clearly there was something wrong with Phoebe and now because of Jeff – she seemed to be an even bigger threat because of what she knew about us.

So on Drea's behalf, I was livid. I don't think that I had ever felt this angry with anyone in our Family but Jeff had pushed all my buttons. Not only were everyone else at risk of having a story made about them but me too and I had worked hard to remain out of the limelight because I didn't need my Parent's knowing anything about how my life was going. They had severed that right when they had thrown me out.

As I looked up at my boyfriend; I couldn't even begin to imagine what I would be doing right now if it hadn't been for him. I still didn't understand what he had seen in me but there was obviously something and I was glad that he had persisted in trying to get to know me. Otherwise I wouldn't have made it this far on my own. For all the years of school, I had thought that I would never truly have a friend let alone a loving and affectionate gorgeous boyfriend who catered to my every need.

Drea was the first female that I had bonded with and it was through her that I had learned how to be a real girl – someone who was finally happy. Through her I had found my own music tastes and movie tastes. Through her I had become beautiful – especially after that she did for me. Changing my hair, waxing and a little touch of natural make up did wonders for me and suddenly I was being looked at instead of being ignored. I had never thought that it would feel as exciting as it did when Shannon couldn't stop staring at me. Ever since that had happened, I hadn't had eyes for anyone other than the man that had saved me.

When Shannon and Drea introduced me to the others, I had been so self conscious because I had thought that they would have been able to see that I was an intruder and that I wasn't what I was trying to be but they had accepted me without question and I had been included in everything that they did as a group.

"You know I love you right?" I asked Shannon who was being bombarded by Dragon and Hella who were licking his face and he couldn't stop laughing as it tickled him.

"I know boo and I feel the exact same way!" He replied through trying to make sure that he didn't suddenly end up with dog tongue in his mouth.

I had always been an animal person – mainly because they had always been the only friends that I had ever had. I hadn't known much about men but I knew that I wanted a man who loved animals as much as I did. When Shannon had walked in to my life, I had been so attracted to him that I didn't think there was anything else that could make it better but then I met his dogs and I saw how he was so animal orientated – it was just like the icing on top of the cake.

"I just hate standing back and watching the way Drea and Jeff are meant to be together and having no way to get them to see it!"

"I know sweetie – I think we all feel that!"

"But I feel like I owe her – after everything that she has done for me, I feel like I need to repay her you know?"

"Drea isn't like that – she helps people because she likes too – it's not so you will be indebted to her. Trust me just being there for her and giving her someone to talk to is payment enough!"

Sometimes I forgot that Shannon had known Drea as long as he had – they had all gone to school together and had formed some of their out of school wrestling themes. Their friendships were the type that would last a lifetime and they all knew that, which was why I think that Jeff was willing to stick in there and make everything right with his best friend again.

Matt, Jeff, Shannon and Drea were the originals in the group – as friends they had been through it all and they had supported one another through a lot. Shannon had been with a girl that he was supposed to marry when he met me and after I got to know Drea; she had told me that Crystal had been all wrong for Shannon but he hadn't been able to see it until he met me. That had shocked me at first because when I saw photos of Crystal I could see that she was beautiful and I couldn't think what Shannon would see in me because next to her I was Shrek. That had been when Drea had sat me down and talked to me.

Out of everyone Drea was like the Mother hen of the group; she'd flock around and help anyone, she was forever telling us that her door was open and it always was. I had lost count of the amount of times that I had gone to her to get help with some problem or another. Even when it had come to sleeping with Shannon for the first time; she had been there and managed to keep me calm and told me to just relax.

"I know that but I just can't stand the thought of her sitting at Gil's place all miserable and Jeff sat at his place all miserable when it could be so easily dissolved if the 2 of them would just admit how they feel!"

"I know you can't and I can't either but time and patience will get them together. I just have to put my faith in that; otherwise I know they'll never get it together!"

Shannon – like Matt – was a strong believer in Faith and fate. They both put a lot of energy in to believing in it and for them it had worked I guess – Shannon met me, and Matt had Brittany and they were as happy as 2 pigs in mud.

I could definitely see them lasting longer than even they were aware of. They just had that kind of connection that wouldn't ever be blown out and they had learned to accept that early on in them getting together. After building a steady friendship – they had given in to the sexual chemistry between them and I guessed that they just didn't want to end up like Drea and Jeff.

"How long are we going to give them?"

"I would say a couple of months at the most – that is more than either of them need and I am kind of worried that one of them might meet someone else and start another relationship!" Shannon admitted.

"I have something that I should tell you -!"

"What's that?"

"Randy gave Britt his number to pass on to Drea!"

"And did she pass it on?" Shannon asked me as he happily and almost absentmindedly began massaging my feet.

"She did!"

"Why?" He exclaimed unbelievably.

"Well Jeff was still with Phoebe as far as we were aware and then she headed home and was adamant that she wanted nothing more to do with Jeff so Britt thought that it might be good for her to move forward!"

I had to admit that at first I didn't think it was a good idea but then as Britt pointed out – Jeff had Phoebe and at that point we had been none the wiser that he had ended things with her and then Drea had been so gung-ho about not needing Jeff that I had agreed that maybe Randy could be good for her.

God knew she needed someone decent for her since she had lost Daniel. In my mind there was only one man that could be anywhere near as good as Daniel and that was Jeff.

Jeff was the one who got her, he was the one who understood her weird moods and had supported her through everything that she had lost in the matter of months. It hadn't been easy on him because he had been facing his first real push in the WWE at the time but he had managed to find a way to juggle all of it and we were all proud of him for that and that was why we knew that they would be better together than apart.

There really was only so long that they could say that they were best friends without people getting ready to bang their damn heads together and I had to admit that I was slowly nearing that point because I just wanted everything to be right with all of us so we could get back to the way it had been before Drea had met Daniel.

Not that I hadn't like Daniel because at the time I thought that he was exactly what she needed – he had been good for her, there was no jealousy at the fact that his wife had a male best friend and there was no snide remarks about the time that she spent with Jeff or the fact that they were very touchy feely around one another. Daniel had taken it all in his stride but now he was gone and life had to move forward. If it took to my dying day – I would ensure that Jeff and Drea finally got it together.

**R/N - HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone; I hope that you had a great holiday and that santa was good to you all ;) THANK YOU guys for the feedback, if you want more please be sure to leave me a little review and/or comment - you guys really are the best and I can't thank you enough for reading and letting me know that you are enjoy it - if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing my work, so THANK YOU once again. Love you guys :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	20. Chapter 20 Driving Us Crazy!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 20 – Driving us crazy!**_

_**A Month Later;**_

_**Britt's POV;**_

Things were getting out of control – we were all walking on egg shells around both Drea and Jeff. It didn't seem to matter what Jeff did; he would be stone walled by Drea at every turn and it didn't matter what Drea said; Jeff wouldn't stop. Last night we had all gone out for a few drinks and the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife. Jeff was trying to be nice but Drea wasn't buying it mainly because she had, had enough. It seemed to her that everywhere she turned Jeff was there trying to get her to come around.

It had just turned 8.30 in the morning and already Drea was on the phone. Apparently Jeff had turned up at his Dad's this morning with yet another gift for her.

"- I mean it wouldn't be so fucking bad if it was actually gifts that I wanted – but no he won't listen. You'll never guess what it was today? A gift card for a weekend in a spa; I mean Jesus Christ do I need to be made to look beautiful?" She ranted.

My eyes darted to Matt as he lay on his back; arm placed over his handsome face as I lay on top of him from where I had landed when I reached for the ringing phone to save him from barking down the line to whoever was calling.

"I'm sure that isn't -!" I began to object but as always Drea didn't want opinions, she just wanted someone to listen to her rant and I was happy enough to do that considering the fact that she had been one of the people that I had turned to when Matt and I were just friends – there had been many a night when she had been desperate to hang out with the guys or do anything goofy like they were doing but she'd cancel so she could be there for me.

What was it about the Hardy's that made you want to rant your head off?

"Well I mean does he even fucking know me at all? First there were the flowers; fucking hell – he knows that I don't do flowers but he buys me roses, then there's the jewellery that he knows I don't fucking wear -!"

It was true – Jeff had turned up at his Dad's with a bunch of red roses for Drea who had promptly told him that she wasn't sick and that she didn't want his feeble attempts at saying sorry. Then there was the jewellery that Drea never wore so once again he was told that she didn't want his pathetic attempts to buy her over and then last week there was the Bon Jovi concert tickets which of course Drea had said thank you for before pulling both tickets out of his hand and asking me to go with her in Jeff's place.

"I'm sure that he didn't -!"

"I mean what have I been doing for the past 15 years? I mean he gives me a weekend at a spa and thinks that will make up for everything – that's like me giving him a couple of tickets to watch the fucking tennis! I mean I know that he will be bothered by that so I don't give him things like that – has he learned nothing about me? Have I just been wasting my time hanging out with him?" She was on a roll now and there was nothing that I could do to make her feel better about what was going on with her and her best friend.

Matt hadn't exactly made things better for Jeff – every time Jeff told us about Drea's reactions, he had just laughed out loud at his little brother. Forgetting that he had been just as bad when it had been us trying to get together. Jeff just needed to slow down and stop trying to impress her and think like her just like I knew he could. It wasn't like he was a stupid man – he had been best friend with the girl for 15 years.

"Anyway sweetie – I have to go I am helping Gil around the house today! I will see you tonight right?" She asked as if she had just suddenly gotten it all out of her system.

"Ok sweetie I'll catch you later!" I replied as Matt started to chuckle.

Hanging up the phone, I remained where I was half on top of him as he chuckled more heartily. I loved that sound more than any other sound in the world – when Matt really laughed it was one of those laughs that I just couldn't stop laughing along with him. I hadn't known that it was possible to love someone as much as I loved Matt.

"She didn't give you much of a chance to get a word in huh?"

"Nope!"

"Yeah she's always been like that to be honest – when something pisses her off she could rant for America!" He chuckled.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that Drea had been a part of the guys lives a lot longer than me or Claire because usually she would take our sides in anything that happened but when you were reminded of how close they really were it was like a shock to the system because even if she was taking our sides – it was for the good of everyone.

"Yeah I know!" I laughed resting my head down on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart.

I would never have thought that my life could have been here after all that I had gone through with my Parent's. When I had fallen out with them, I had carried on working so hard that I barely had time for anything else other than Randy's career then I met Matt and slowly I learned to stop throwing myself in to work and just learned how to enjoy life.

I had never quite had a friend like Matt before – he was funny, he was supportive and he was extremely kind which had truly captured me and pulled me in to him. There was nothing else that I could think about to the point where Randy was beginning to lose his patience with me. I was off my game and forever screwing up so he had let me go in the end but at least Matt had been there and he had given me a job to work with him so I could still travel with him wherever he went.

"I suppose we should get up huh?" He muttered gently running his fingers through my hair.

"Damn Jeff and Drea and their drama!" I mumbled earning me another round of chuckles from him as he kissed the top of my head tenderly.

"Tell me about it!"

The both of us rose from the bed and stumbled in to the bathroom where we shared a quick shower and get prepared for the day ahead – we had a few things that we needed to do with the recent Hardy Show episode that we had taped the previous day. There was a touch of editing that needed doing but all in all – the episode had come out as we had planned it too.

Even when we were home we were working, there was the Hardy Show, and then there were the numerous other things that Matt had his hand in. Then there was the new building that we were resurrecting on our property. We were planning on making it so we could have our parties in there so that the house wouldn't end up getting so messed up since we had parties for any reason that we could find.

"Can you believe this?" Matt asked me an hour later as he sat down at the computer and checked in on the message board for the show.

People were commenting on the deal between Jeff and Drea – obviously the fans were picking up on the fact that Jeff and Drea didn't seem to be talking and all of them had their theories as to why. There were those who thought that Phoebe had done something, then there were those who believed that it was just a lovers tiff and then lastly there were those who thought that Jeff had come to his senses and gotten rid of Drea altogether.

Thankfully one thing about hanging out with the guys was that they always taught new comers to ignore the bad comments because in their eyes you couldn't please everyone all the time and it was a good mantra for them to have – considering the business they were in. Wrestling was extremely fickle especially when it came to the fans; one week they'd love you and the next week they'd hate you. You just had to look at John Cena to see that.

"I know Drea had mentioned it yesterday – I can't believe that people can be so insensitive you know?"

"I know baby but it's the world we live in – everyone thinks that they have the right to comment on someone's life!" Matt reminded me.

It just made me mad – Drea and Jeff were going through something that most people just couldn't understand. It was something that should be private – not out there for the vultures to dissect. Not that I thought of all the fans as vultures but there were the odd few who believed that because the guys shared almost every aspect of their lives with them; it gave them the right to pass judgment on everything that they did.

Sitting down next to Matt, I began to read over some of the harsh comments that had been posted and it seemed that at least Drea had some fans of her own that jumped on anyone who said anything bad about her. I was glad of that at least; not that Drea ever let it get to her. Being the first girl in the core group; she had learned early to just let it slide off her back.

Resting my head down on to Matt's shoulder while I munched on the toast that I had made, I read through the comments while he pottered around on the other computer that he had for editing the footage that we had from yesterday. I read until I just couldn't do it anymore – the comments were too much.

Who did these people think they were?

It wasn't that I didn't respect the fans because I did – I knew that without them the wrestling business wouldn't be what it was but sometimes they just wouldn't let things go. They seemed to forget that wrestlers had feelings too and I couldn't help but wonder what Drea was really feeling after reading some of those comments. Not to mention how Jeff must be feeling – he was the one who had messed up after all and right now I knew that he felt like everything he had ever wanted in this world was going up in smoke.

I really did feel bad for Jeff – he was trying everything that he could think of to make it up to Drea but she just wasn't having it. Matt had once told me that Drea could hold a grudge like no ones business and I hadn't believed him until I had seen the way she was stone walling Jeff at every turn. But I had to say a lesser man would have quit by now stating that it was just too much hassle but not Jeff; Shannon joked that he was a glutton for punishment. I had found myself agreeing with him somewhat on that statement. But I had to admire Jeff for sticking with it knowing that he was going to get the door slammed in his face at every given opportunity and it told me that he really was in love with Drea.

I knew that Drea was in love with him too – she just had to meet him half way but when she was this mad there would be no sign of her giving an inch let alone a mile.

What was more than weird was the fact that none of us had heard anything of Phoebe. It had freaked us all out when we found out what Jeff had seen when he had gone in to her apartment. Photos everywhere, doctored photos to include herself and that seemed to just be a small sliver of it – there was no way that someone was that obsessed and didn't have a hidden agenda. I just tried not to think about it but it sure was scary considering we had never known that we were being watched before now. There was nothing to say that we weren't being watched right now.

_**Matt's POV;**_

Just because we liked to keep up with the message boards – didn't mean that we liked to see the kind of things that were being written about someone that we cared about. It had been the same when the fans had been attacking Andrew in the beginning but Drea knew better than to let it get to her or to even take it seriously. That didn't mean that it didn't get to her. Drea was a much more sensitive person than people thought; especially since she had lost Daniel.

I had to admit that it was somewhat funny to see the way Drea was making Jeff pay. It seemed to be at every turn; she had something more hurtful to say than the last. Not that Jeff didn't deserve it; he had been a monumental asshole when he had gotten together with Phoebe.

There was no way that he would admit it but he had let that girl get away with far too much. It didn't matter that he hadn't heard the majority of it. He should have known what was going on because had he been paying attention to Drea then he would have known without a doubt that something was off.

"So what did little brother do this time?" I asked looking to Brittany.

When she had been on the phone this morning, it wasn't obvious what had happened because Drea hadn't even let my girlfriend get a word in edge wise. It had been hard for the girls because they sometimes felt like they were taking sides when it just wasn't the case.

"He gave her a gift card for a weekend at a spa!"

"Now actually that seems like a good gift!"

"Yeah I would have said the same if it was coming from a time when they were actually talking to one another but right in this moment; all she said was that she couldn't believe that he thought she needed to be made to look beautiful and shut the door in his face!"

I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing. Jeff really didn't think sometimes; even I would know not to give Britt a gift like that if we had been fighting. It was basically just common sense and sometimes my little brother didn't possess what he had been given.

"I have to admit that it was kind of funny but clearly not for Drea or Jeff!" Britt smirked.

There was no doubt that we all needed to have a sense of humour about us at the moment because at the end of the day; if we didn't have a sense of humour then we weren't going to get very far with either of them.

"No it's not funny for them," I agreed.

"You're mean!" Britt nudged me when I started laughing again. "You do know that we should be trying to find a way to help them?"

"Well when you think of something let me know because right now – its best if we leave them alone. Well leave Drea alone – Jeff should know that too, he should know that she'll come around in her own time and not before,"

"Yeah she said to me that it wasn't about material things – it was about him taking credit for what he had done!" Britt informed me.

Drea never had done things that she didn't want to do – she was always the girl who knew her own mind and that was why Jeff was drawn to her but he seemed to have forgotten that after being with Phoebe.

Even since Drea was a little girl she had been the type of girl who didn't do things that other little girls were doing, she had known that she was a tom boy and she didn't mind it in the slightest, she had met us and we had all shared a unique friendship from day one. We had all formed a tight knit group but because Jeff was in the year above her in school and Shannon was in the year below; there had been no way that they could hang out with one another. Out of school it was a completely different story though – we were always together; trying to find things to do and trouble to get in too.

Maybe it would be a good idea to make Jeff sit down and watch the home movies that we had made so that he could see that he wasn't what you would call acting like a very good best friend. Maybe it was just time to give him a refresher course on his best friend.

"You know I was just thinking -!"

"Oh this could be bad!" Britt giggled and quickly scooted out of the way as I reached for her. "Ok, ok tell me – what were you thinking?"

"I think it might be a good idea to make Jeff watch some of the old home movies that we have – make him remember who is best friend is and maybe then he will see what he has to do to get her to forgive him?"

"Oh that sounds like a plan!" Britt replied getting excited before leaping to her feet. "You go find the movies and I will call Jeff -!"

"But we're supposed to be doing this!" I objected pointing to the monitor that was playing over the footage that had been filmed yesterday.

"What's more important? The Hardy Show or the happiness of your brother and his best friend?" Britt asked me.

"Ok go!" I nodded getting to my feet and heading in the direction of the basement door.

I kept all of my Hardy things in the basement where the pool table was but was hopefully going to get the table moved to the out building that I was building on the property. I wanted the new building to be the place where we had the parties and such because too much was getting damaged in the house by always having them inside.

I hoped that this was going to work, it had to work! I told myself as Lucas toddled along behind me down in to the basement and plopped himself up on to the sofa and settled down. This was one of his favourite rooms because it was less busy at the moment and he could get some peace.

"You have an easy life bud!" I muttered to him and he glanced up at me and sniffed the air a couple of times before resting his head back down on his paws and closing his eyes. "Yeah that's right – you go to sleep you lucky bugger!" I chuckled to myself as I moved to the cabinet where I kept all the home movies.

They were all waiting to be put on to DVD and then some of them would be put as bonuses on upcoming Hardy Show DVD's. Once I had finally located some of the better ones, I headed back up the stairs and left the door open for Lucas should he decide to come back and join us.

"Did you get a hold of him?"

"Yeah he says he'll be here in about an hour – he's just running some errands!" Britt informed me.

"Great!" I replied and quickly set about setting everything up. "I can get some editing in while we wait for him then!"

"You don't think that it would be a good idea to invite Drea too?"

"No! God no!" I replied quickly.

If this was going to work it had to be Jeff alone seeing it for himself and realizing that he was the one who had messed up and that deep down he knew exactly how to fix it if he would just get his head in the game. Sometimes he was so frustratingly stubborn that I wanted nothing more than to bang my head against the wall.

"I just think that this will go better if there isn't that atmosphere hanging around when they are in the same room as one another!"

"True!" She nodded her head in agreement as she headed back to the kitchen and soon after I was greeted by the smell of her cooking nibbles for our afternoon activity.

I had definitely lucked out with my girlfriend – she wasn't just beautiful and caring but she was smart and she was fun to be around. From the minute that I had introduced her to my Family she had fit right in and became a part of things to the point that none of us could imagine life without her now.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for all the support and the encouragement on my writing - if it weren't for all of you then I wouldn't be sharing my work. If you want more then you know what you have to do - I love you guys to bits and can't thank you all enough.**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	21. Chapter 21 Diggin' Up Bones!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 21 – Diggin'__ Up Bones._**

_**Later That Night;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

It had been a long day – but at least it had managed to keep my mind off Jeff. For the past month – he had been trying to buy me over. I didn't want him to buy me over; I didn't need material things from him. What I needed from him was his love and his support; just like it had been in the past. Since Phoebe had been in his life – he had forgotten who I was. I had never wanted his money, I had never asked him for anything other than his friendship; I just couldn't understand why he thought that it was different now.

I had seen how it had been with Phoebe; she wanted to go to nice places, she had wanted nice cloths and fancy jewellery and it bothered me at Jeff's presumption that I was in some way the same way.

I was angry at him – I had been angry with him since before he had split up with Phoebe. The way he had all but dumped me because he could get a little pussy. We had never been that way – I hadn't dumped him when I met Daniel. I made sure that I spent equal time with both but Jeff hadn't even managed that; whenever we hung out, she had to be there. Now I was dealing with the fact that he seemed to think that somehow he had to buy his way back in to my good graces when it wasn't even close to being about buying me things.

Lying on my bed, I was staring at the photo of Daniel and me taken the day that we had gotten married and my eyes moved to my wedding ring that I still wore on my finger. I never wanted to forget my husband – he would never have treated me the way that Jeff was treating me now and it was in this moment that I figured maybe things with Jeff and I had gone way beyond repair.

Britt and Claire had called by to see if I wanted to go for a drink with them but I wasn't in the mood to be social and thankfully they had understood and left me alone without badgering me to just go with them.

Somewhere in the house I could hear the strings of the Legend's guitar beginning to play my favourite song and I slowly got to my feet and cracked the door open ever so slightly to be able to hear better. In my opinion Gil sang the song much better than the original artist; Randy Travis. That soft dulcet husky tone filtered through the house and I moved back to the bed where I felt completely safe and at home; just like I had from the moment that I had moved in to this house more than 15 years ago.

'_Last night I dug your picture out from our old dresser drawer, I set it on the table and I talked to it 'til four, I read some old love letters right up 'til the break of dawn, Yeah I've been sittin' alone diggin' up bones, Then I went through the jewelry and I found our wedding rings, I put mine on my finger and I gave yours a fling, across this lonely bedroom of our recent broken home, Yeah tonight I'm sittin' alone diggin' up bones,'_

Just the sound of Gil singing in the house made everything seem to be better – I felt at home, which I hadn't ever truly felt anywhere else. Not in my Parent's home, not in the house that Daniel and I had shared and most definitely not in Jeff's house when Phoebe had been there.

Gil – as far as I was concerned – was the Father that I had never had. Not only that but he had provided me with the kind of home that I never felt left out even though I wasn't one of his biological children. It took an extremely special man to open his home to his son's best friend but to have included me in the Family; that was something much more than special.

'_I'm diggin' up bones, I'm diggin' up bones, Exhuming things that's better left alone, I'm resurrecting memories of a love that's dead and gone, Yeah tonight i'm sittin' alone diggin' up bones,'_

I had never felt like an outsider when I was here and I had never had to deal with what my Parent's had done because Gil had talked to me and made me realize that sometimes people just couldn't stand to see their children growing up and becoming their own people; although I had never been able to see it like that, I appreciated him for trying to make them sound like anything other than what they were. Cold, heartless, emotionless and completely out of control.

In the end they had wanted to control everything that I did – they didn't want me hanging out with the guys, they didn't want me wrestling, they didn't want me listening to the music that I did and they didn't want me dressing the way that I was. By that time it was too late – I was old enough to know that I had the right to express myself any way that I chose too.

'_And I went through the closet and I found some things in there, Like that pretty negligee that I bought you to wear, And I recall how good you looked each time you had it on, Yeah tonight I'm sittin' alone diggin' up bones, I'm resurrecting memories of love that's dead and gone, Yeah tonight I'm sittin' alone diggin' up bones,'_

The sound of the guitar fading off and then starting again indicated that it was going to be a night of my surrogate Father's singing and playing. Nothing could have made me happier – I loved the sound of him singing, I loved the smells inside this house and I loved the seclusion. I felt like I was a million miles away from anyone or anything and right now I needed that more than anything else.

Jeff never came by at night – usually he came first thing in the morning when he should know that I am not at my best anyway. But no he came when I really wasn't going to be very welcoming. It was just another thing that had me questioning just how much my best friend really knew me. I mean out of all the gifts that he had tried to give me – a weekend at a spa? That would be like me giving him tickets to go and watch Wimbledon. He would hate it and he should know that I would hate being stuck in some well to do spa.

Staring at my photo of me and my husband – my fingers ran down the outline to his handsome face and I could feel the tears stinging at my eyes; threatening to trickle down my face like a dam busting open. I hated being vulnerable and I hated crying – especially when there was the chance that I could end up being interrupted. It had been a while since I had thought completely about my husband – it had been well over a year now since he had been gone and I really hated it when people said that time would make it better because it really was the biggest pile of bullshit that I had ever heard in my life. Time just seemed to make it worse.

I could still remember our mornings as clear as day – me lying in bed watching him getting ready, him rushing around as if he was a chicken without a head convinced that he had forgotten something. It didn't matter how late he was running he had always taken the time to make me coffee to drink in bed – then he would kiss me goodbye and tell me that he loved me.

Night times when he finished work were just as memorable – it wasn't the same thing every night but he would come home, we'd eat, sometimes we'd go for a run or sometimes a walk, or sometimes we just stayed inside curled up in front of the TV watching one of the various shows that we had loved as a couple. We'd make love and fall asleep tangled in one another – and now I didn't have any of that. I was all alone and I didn't have him by my side to talk too. I really did miss him much more than I had ever thought that it would be possible to miss someone.

I guess that old saying – 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone' was true. Because here I was getting ready to burst in to tears at any moment and there was no one there by my side to tell me that it would be ok and that I'd get through it.

For as angry as I was at Jeff right now – I still missed him so much more than I wanted too. I wanted to be completely mad at him; I didn't want to want him the minute that things felt like they were getting tough for me. I couldn't even begin to explain just how betrayed I felt by him and as I stared at my husband, I wished that somehow he could be here – by my side. Offering support and comfort like he always had.

Jeff and I had never had a falling out like this in all the time that we had known one another – hell we hadn't had a falling out ever. This was a first and I was at a complete loss on how to handle it.

I wanted to call him.

I wanted to talk to him.

I wanted him by my side again.

But if I did that – what did it say about me?

That he could treat me in anyway he saw fit and I would just lye back and take it. No I didn't want to be that person, I wanted him to respect me for whom I was and I wanted him to remember that we were friends first and foremost. I wasn't a toy that could be picked up and discarded when he felt like it. I had feelings and obviously he had forgotten that lately.

Why couldn't Daniel still be here?

At least I could talk to my husband – at least he had known the way things stood and he never once got mad about it, he never once asked me to chose which one I wanted to spend my time with – he had respected me and valued me enough to know that I wasn't the type of person who dumped my friends just because I had a new love interest in my life.

"Why did you have to leave me?" I asked out loud to the photo wishing that there was someway that he could reply to me. "You know I'm so mad at you for leaving – why couldn't you have fought harder? Why couldn't you have loved me enough to stay strong?"

I knew that I was being unfair – the accident hadn't been his fault and from all accounts; he had died on impact. There really had been no fighting, there had been no pain, which was a blessing in someway I guess. I just didn't want to do this alone anymore. I was 30 years old and already a widow.

Maybe I should just give up on the prospect of romance.

The minute that thought entered my head, it was like a light bulb going off – getting up I moved to the dresser and pulled out the little note of paper with Randy Orton's number on it.

"Daniel? Do you want me to call Randy?" I questioned out loud and finding that I was somehow completely ok with talking to myself and that scared me for a moment until there was like a warm, gentle wave that seemed to sweep through my body almost as if Daniel were there next to me; holding me and supporting me.

Relishing the feeling of warmth that had been absent for so long, I decided to move back to the bed and just lie down for a while. I wanted to remain this close to whatever it was that was affecting me right now. With Randy's number lying on the pillow next to my head, I slipped off in to a deep slumber.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

'_Another night slowly closes in, and I feel so lonely. Touching heat freezing on my skin, I pretend you still hold me. I'm going crazy, I'm losing sleep. I'm in too far; I'm in way too deep over you. I can't believe you're gone. You were the first, you'll be the last. Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon. Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. I will be the flame.'_

Ever since I had watched those home movies with Matt and Brittany – Drea had been on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about the things that she had said to me whenever I tried to drop off all those gifts to her. She was right; I hadn't been thinking. For Drea it had never been about the money, she could quite happily live without material possessions if it meant that her friends were by her side.

The only thing that Drea had ever truly wanted was enough money to buy her own salon; she had been saving but then Daniel had died and all of her savings had to go on that and then she lost the baby and the last drop she had left had to pay for the medical bills.

'_Watching shadows move across the wall, I feel so frightened. I wanna run to you, I wanna call, but I've been hit by lightening. Just can't stand up for fallin apart. Can't see through this veil across my heart, over you. You'll always be the one. You were the first, you'll be the last. Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon. Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. I will be the flame.'_

When Drea had left she had left behind some of her things; I had boxed them all up for her but hadn't had the nerve to drop them off at my Dad's place yet – I think that I was still holding out hope that she would come home. I don't know why because she seemed perfectly intent on making me suffer. My best friend really could hold a grudge like no ones business.

When I came home from my brother and his girl's place, I had started going through the box until I found a CD with old power ballads; it had always surprised me when Drea was such a tom boy; she could still be very feminine if she so chose to be.

'_I'm going crazy, I'm losing sleep. I'm in too far; I'm in way too deep over you. You'll always be the one. You were the first, you'll be the last. Wherever you go, I'll be with you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon. Remember: after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame. I will be the flame. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Wherever you go, I'll be with you. And whatever you want, I'll give it to you.'_

The faint scent of her spicy perfume was fading and somehow that made my stomach lurch in a dramatic way. I had to think seriously about this because if I didn't do something right soon, she would just give up on me. Normally she was the easiest person to go to if you wanted advice but there was no way that I could actually ask her advice on how to win her back. That would just defeat the purpose.

Closing my eyes while another ballad began to fill the room – I couldn't make out the lyrics or the song because I was running through things in my mind. I knew that I had been a complete idiot when it had come to Phoebe.

That was another thing that bothered me – Phoebe hadn't been seen or heard of since I dumped her. I wasn't foolish enough to believe that it was over; there was no way that she would just lay down after being that obsessed with Drea.

What a fucking moron I was!

I had put my best friend in danger. I had began dating someone that I didn't even know and now looking back on it; if I hadn't been so desperate to push my feelings for Drea aside – I would have noticed that something wasn't right with my best friend. Whenever she was around my girlfriend; she had been tense and almost unsure of how to act. Matt had said that she looked uneasy but it had been way more than that. I couldn't place the emotion but it had definitely been there.

Getting up from the sofa where I had sunk in defeat and self pity – I moved into the kitchen to grab myself a beer. Staring at the photos on the fridge door of Drea and me over the years – every single one of them, we were smiling and laughing. Things had been so simple back then; we didn't have to worry about adult feelings or arguments because there just wasn't anything that we had argued about. I missed that, I missed her and her presence around the place. I had gotten so used to being with her that it never occurred to me to learn how to deal without her.

Popping the lid from my beer, I moved back in to the front room and began shifting through the mail that I had thrown on to the coffee table. Bills, bills and more bills. It seemed to be never ending sometime – I remembered when we were younger; me and Drea had always said that we were going to live together, and we'd both be famous so that we wouldn't have to worry about the bills that my Dad had worried about.

Where had those days gone?

It didn't matter that those dreams seemed stupid and a whole life time ago; all that mattered was that she wasn't here like we had planned.

Tearing the envelope on a letter that didn't appear to be a bill, I read the contents over a couple of times as an idea started to form in my head. It was perfect – that could be exactly what would get me back in to my best friend's life. It definitely made sense and it sure wasn't one of those dumb things that she could throw back in my face.

Pulling out the details and drawings that I had gotten on the initial viewing, I set to work on drawing out a rough sketch to show her what I thought would be perfect for her.

3 hours later and I was finished – looking at the mantel to the clock to see that it was almost 2 in the morning but I couldn't rest, I had to go and show her now. Otherwise I would be a nervous wreck come morning. Quickly grabbing up the set of keys that I had to my Dad's place, I let myself out of the house and locked up behind me. The night was darker than most and the only thing to guide me was the full moon that was perched high in the sky and the glittering of the thousands of stars.

That was one thing that I loved about living here – you could see the stars so clearly where in bigger city's you were lucky to be able to spot one over the smog and the bright lights of the buildings and such. Luckily I knew the woods like the back of my hand and I would have been able to find my way in total darkness; I began to short walk to my Father's property. All the while my thoughts on my best friend.

I just had to hope that she would give me the time of day to explain this to her when usually she just slammed the door in my face.

Thinking on it; I really couldn't blame her for acting the way she was; I had acted like a complete asshole. All that had mattered to me at the time was making a show of how I was getting over her.

Phoebe had been there and she had been willing to be with me – or at least that had been what I had thought. After finding those photos in her apartment – I would definitely say that she had been using me to get closer to the real object of her obsession. And I didn't know what was scarier – her being in to my best friend or the fact that she had used me to get to her.

The silence that coated me as I walked would have scared most people but I loved the isolation, I loved to be alone and somewhere that no one would be able to find me because most people would get lost in these woods and not even 10 minutes later, I was clearing the wood and looking at the entrance to my Dad's property. The lights were out and clearly the house had wound down for the day, which was unusual for my Dad; he was as much of a night owl as my brother and I were.

Moving up to the front porch, I unlocked the door and let myself inside; ensuring that I locked everything back up behind me. It really wasn't safe to leave things lying open when we had no idea of where Phoebe was. I blindly made my way to the bedroom that had always been Drea's when she had lived here. Pushing the door open; my eyes drank in the way she was laying on her side; a framed photo of Daniel clutched in to her side and a peaceful look on her beautiful features.

It had been a long time since I had seen her look so calm and at peace. Ever since she had lost Daniel; it was almost like she had been barely hanging on and once again I was being stabbed with guilt – I had seen her drowning, I had seen that she wasn't coping and what had I done? I had abandoned her because I had gotten myself a new girlfriend.

She had every right to be treating me the way that she was!

Slipping my shoes off, I padded silently to the empty side of her bed and crawled on next to her; however, the minute the bed dipped with my weight, she rolled round on to her other side so she was facing me and her arm wrapped tightly around me.

"_Daniel!" _She muttered as she snuggled closer.

For a few short moments, I didn't know what to do. I could waken her and risk her losing her cool with me in the middle of the night and potentially waking up the rest of the house, or I could wrap her up and keep her close in the hope that I would finally get the much needed sleep that I hadn't had since she had left.

"_Shhhh princess – just sleep!" _I whispered kissing the top of her head as my arms tightened around her and closed my eyes.

Before I even knew it, I had drifted in to a deep slumber unaware of the fact that there was a face one the other side of the glass window.

**R/N - I can just imagine you all saying - ABOUT TIME! lol. it's getting closer I promise, more on Friday if you want anymore that is???!!!!!! so what do you say? Want more?**

**Also look out for a new fic coming calling Crazy In Love; a new Jeff fic :) I'm so grateful to you all and all the support that you have shown me; it means more than I could ever say - I love you all to bits. See you back here on Friday if you want more :)**

**Love  
Harley  
xoxox**


	22. Chapter 22 If You Only Knew!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 22 – If You Only Knew.**_

_**The Following Morning;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

I could feel my body coming around just as the stereo alarm turned itself on. Last night was a bit of a blur but I can distinctly remember feeling like my husband had been here – trying to comfort me.

Was that why it felt like I was snuggled in to a warm body?

My stomach turned quickly as for a split second I let myself believe that the past year had been one huge nightmare. Breathing in the scent of Joop aftershave – it hit me that it was Jeff that I cuddled up too. No – I didn't want it to be Jeff; I was still mad at him. But I couldn't stop that content feeling from returning deep in my stomach. It felt right waking up next to him – just like it had always felt right.

The stereo began to play Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones and I had to think that somehow if it were possible – Daniel was behind this.

'_Childhood living is easy to do, The things you wanted I bought them for you, Graceless lady you know who I am, You know I cant let you slide through my hands, Wild horses couldn't drag me away, Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away, I watched you suffer a dull aching pain, Now you decided to show me the same, No sweeping exits or offstage lines, Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind, Wild horses couldn't drag me away, Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away, I know I dreamed you a sin and a lie, I have my freedom but I don't have much time, Faith has been broken, tears must be cried, Lets do some living after we die,'_

Jeff softly began to sing the lyrics in that calming voice of his that had sent me to sleep so many nights after I had lost Daniel. Just the warmth in his tone, the sincerity in the way he delivered the lyrics was what made him an amazing singer. I had loved to just listen to him sing or hum when he was going about his daily business – everything about him was still planted and embedded so deeply inside me I knew that there was no way that I could escape the way I felt about him.

Personally I couldn't hold a note to save my life – but Jeff had never seemed to mind. Whenever I began singing he would just ignore me and start singing along with me – all those memories came rushing back like a flood that was intent on destroying all the walls that I had build around myself.

"I know you're awake boo," He said softly brushing his hand through my hair.

"Mmmm no I'm not!" I buried my head in his chest and felt the rattle of a deep throated chuckle that rocked through me.

"Ok well I won't give you my gift -!"

"Jeff please no more!" I said pulling away from him cursing him silently for ruining the moment.

"This time its different but – I think that we need to talk first!" He replied quickly capturing me in his arms again and refusing to allow me the relief of being away from him.

"But I'm just awake!" I complained.

"Good – you won't be able to push me away!" He chuckled pressing his lips to the top of my head.

Damn him for knowing me so well. I really was no good first thing in the morning until I had at least 2 steaming mugs of strong coffee to kick start myself. I hated that he knew when to catch me at my weakest but then again; it was the first time in God knew how long that he had remembered anything about me.

All the gifts that he had tried to give me were not me – I had never asked him for his money or for him to get me anything. That was what hurt the most; the fact that he assumed that our friendship was based on material possessions.

"Please baby girl; just listen to me?" He pleaded with me as he felt the deep rooted reluctance that was deep inside me.

I knew that he had me trapped so I reluctantly nodded my head. A small voice kept whispering in my ear to give him a chance, not to let him slip through my fingers again. Instantly my mind went to Daniel and I couldn't for the life of me understand that. My husband was dead; he was gone and there was no way that he could come back.

Maybe I was having some form of break down! That thought alone chilled me to the very core.

"I know that I have been a complete ass – I have treated you so bad that I can't blame you for shutting me out. Hell if it was me, I would have done the exact same thing. I really can't find a way to apologize for the way I acted. I put a girlfriend above our friendship and there is absolutely no excuse for that.

The thing was that I was just so desperate to get past what I was feeling for you – when I knew that you couldn't let yourself feel that way about me. I felt so completely selfish wanting you when you were mourning your husband – I don't actually think that I have ever felt that low while sober before. When I met Phoebe she was – she reminded me – there was something about her that reminded me of you – I know that you don't want to hear that but it is the only explanation that I have and I don't want to lie to you anymore.

We are best friends above everything else and it has been killing me not being able to talk to you or to hang out with you like we used to do. If you will just give me another chance – I promise you that I will never treat you like that again. I will push aside what I feel and I will be your friend again – please Drea I don't want to lose you!"

That was exactly what I had wanted from him for the past month or so – I had just wanted him to be honest with me, I had wanted him to stop trying to buy me back when that wasn't what any of this was about. What it had been about was the fact that we hadn't talked about what was happening between us and that had killed me because there had never been a time when we hadn't been able to talk to one another.

"What – what if I-I don't want you to push what you feel aside?" I asked him taking a huge chance and just hoping that it would pay off.

"What are you saying?" He asked his hand resting on my cheek and I could feel the heat burning against his flesh.

"I-I don't know – all I know is that – I don't – I want – I don't know – I want us to at least try – I can't watch you be with someone else again!" I managed to stammer.

Since Jeff had been so honest with me and since I wasn't in my usual mind set – without my coffee – I wanted to be honest with him. I didn't want to have this thing hanging above us any longer; watching him with Phoebe had killed a huge part of me inside. I couldn't survive that again.

"You mean that?"

"I can't – Jeff for so long I have been telling myself that it isn't right; that I should be mourning Daniel until I die but last night – I had this moment – I can't; its hard to explain but – I know that he wouldn't have wanted me to be miserable for the rest of my life!"

Just the feeling of my husband being around last night had made my mind open to things that I hadn't been fully willing to accept. Especially when it came to thinking of Jeff and the way I felt about him. I had been so intent on keeping him at arms length that I was willing to make myself miserable because of it.

"I know he didn't baby girl!" Jeff whispered gently rubbing his finger against my lips and causing my entire body to shudder towards him. "It must have been about a month before he died; they were talking about sending him back out to Iraq and he didn't think that he would be coming back after that time,"

"What did he say?" I asked pulling back and looking at my best friend. "Jeff what did he say?" I pleaded desperately.

"He pulled me aside at that BBQ at Shannon and Claire's and he told me that he knew how I felt about you – I'm not going to say what was said because it did get a little heated at one point but in the end he asked me that if something were to happen to him – would I be there for you? And he asked me not to waste anymore time when it's obvious that we're – meant to be together!"

For a second I stared at my friend and then down to the photo in my hands of my husband. I couldn't comprehend what Daniel had done – he had told Jeff that he knew we were meant to be together; did that mean he didn't love me?

Was our whole marriage a sham?

I couldn't stop thinking about that now; what the hell had I done?

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked sitting back up.

"What did I do to Daniel?"

"I don't understand baby,"

"What the hell kind of wife was I? I couldn't see that my husband knew I was meant to be with another man? How self involved am I?"

"You're not self involved!" He assured me reaching for me and pulling me close.

At first I was trying to fight him, I didn't want to take comfort from the man that my husband had thought I was meant to be with. But Jeff had me caught tight against him; his true power showing by the way he was restraining me tightly.

I had never been able to fight him when he restrained me like this – he knew that and I knew that he wasn't going to let me run away this time. It was time for us to be completely honest with one another about the way we felt and there was nothing and no one in the middle of us. My heart began to thunder wildly in my chest, my knees were shaking violently as I was pulled tightly against him and I was sure that if he wasn't holding me; I would be falling over on to my face.

"Baby girl you are the least self involved person I know -!"

"Now we both know that isn't true!" I giggled.

Sometimes it bothered me the way Jeff saw me – he clearly thought that I was someone that I wasn't. That had always been his problem when it came to me; he couldn't seem to understand that I wasn't some person who was perfect through and through. No one seemed able to get him to understand or see that I had many faults – just like everyone else.

But then again – I couldn't really complain too much because when I looked at him, I couldn't see anything wrong with him. In my eyes – he was the most perfect person in the world and at the end of it all – he was always there for me and he always had my back – apart from the time that we hadn't been talking.

_**An Hour Later;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

For what seemed like the very first time in a long time – we were actually talking. Everything seemed to be falling in to place – I couldn't stop thinking about what she had said about seeing me with other women. She wanted me. Even after all this crap with Phoebe; she still wanted me.

If I wouldn't offend her right now – I would be doing my happy dance.

"I just want to do this right – I don't want to just jump straight in to something and most of all – I am scared that it won't work out! And I'm scared that will mean that I will lose you -!"

"Hey that is never going to happen – I'm like mold; once I'm there – there's no getting rid of me!"

"Well there is that!" She giggled softly. "Just look at the way you wouldn't take no for an answer – I mean God how many men do you know who would sneak in to a house in the middle of the night and just lay down next to you?"

"Well there isn't many -!"

"Wait are you some kind of scary stalker?" She laughed again.

The room was bathed in morning sunlight and seemed to bounce off her sun kissed blond hair; her beautiful eyes shone with what was a mixture of fear and hope. It pained me to see her so worried about something that I knew in my heart was going to work. It didn't matter to me that we were best friends or that we were taking this huge chance – because now that I was a little older and had a taste of what it felt like to watch her with another man; I knew that we were going to make it.

I never wanted anything to come in between us again.

"Oh no honey – you already have one of those!" The minute that it was out of my mouth, I regretted it. "I'm sorry that was insensitive!"

"No it's ok babe; seriously. What are we going to do about her anyway?"

"I really don't know!"

Truth be told; I had been thinking a lot about Phoebe and what she was going to do next. Clearly her obsession had reached the kind of stage that made her a danger and that thought scared me deeply.

"You know sometimes you are about as much help as a chocolate kettle!?" She giggled.

"Hey I object to that!" I growled reaching in and tickling her until she was literally writhing around the bed and in fits of laughter. "I will have you know that I have my uses -!"

"Oh yeah – name – 3!" She managed to get out through her laughter.

"Oh challenge – you couldn't think of anything better than that huh?" I chuckled sitting on top of her ribs to pin her below me. "Alright 1 – I am funny. 2 – I'm sensitive and 3 – uhm – lets see – I'm good looking!" I grinned at her.

"Oh listen to you Mr. Modest!" She giggled heartily again. "I'm not quite sure what use you being good looking is to me – but I can't argue with you there!"

Suddenly she pushed me backwards until she was sitting up; her beautiful face completely devoid of make up – came dangerously close to my own. The flutter of her eyes sparked me to tenderly reach up and wipe the loose strands of her hair from her eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself -!"

"Are you going to kiss me now?"

"I was thinking about it!" I smiled holding her cheek in my hand and somehow I felt like a giant in comparison to her small frame. "You're not going to object are you?"

"Why don't you try and see!?" She smiled as slowly our heads began to fall closer together.

Instantly the chemistry between us seemed to rise higher than anything that I had ever felt with anyone else. Lost in her beautiful shimmering eyes; I felt the energy explode inside me as our lips came together in the most tender kiss, the feel of her soft smooth flesh; the taste of apple juice that she had been drinking not long ago.

Slowly we fell backwards on to the bed; our bodies becoming entangled just like our tongues that were dancing some form of erotic salsa. Then just as my hands began to reach up to her PJ top; she burst out laughing like Rachael in Friends when Ross kissed her for the first time.

"What?" I panted pulling away from her and looking in to her eyes.

"I'm sorry – I just – it feels slightly weird to be kissing you!"

"Bad weird?" I asked hoping against hope that she wasn't going to say yes.

"No! No! Just weird – you're my best friend and it feels weird because we have never done anything more than this with one another,"

"You want to stop?"

"No!" She snapped quickly. "We'll power through – but not right now?"

"Ok – how about I take you out tonight?"

"Tonight sounds good," She nodded happily as I flopped down next to her and wrapped my arm around her waist; pulling her close to me. Burying my head in her hair; I couldn't believe just how happy I was feeling about the direction that things were going in.

"And in the mean time – I have something that I want to show you -!"

"Jeff we said we'd wait!" She smiled at me.

"Not that smart ass – get showered and get dressed; we're going out!"

"Out where?"

"You'll see!" I shooed her off the bed and in to the bathroom before moving out to the main area of the house where my Dad and Dee were sitting having breakfast.

Sitting down with them – I explained that Drea and I had worked everything out and we were finally in that place where we were going to give us a shot. Both my Dad and Dee were excited for us. I didn't want to push things so I didn't say anything more than I was glad that we had finally got our acts together.

After an hour – Drea walked in to the kitchen looking stunning in a simple blue and white summer dress with ankle length leggings underneath. The abundance of her blonde hair was piled high on top of her head with only a few strands hanging down and framing her beautiful face.

There was truly nothing about this woman that I didn't want. I just had to look at her and know that this was the woman that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I would love her forever and the more that I thought about that, the more I was thankful for having had her in my life for as long as I had.

Another hour later we had arrived at the destination and the minute that Drea saw it then heard what my plans were – she was in my arms and kissing me deeply.

**R/N - so are you guys happy that it finally happened? Let me know what you think of the direction I have taken this in. I love the fact that you don't just say you like and you tell me what you think of the characters actions and how the story is developing; it makes writing such a HUGE joy and fun to share with you guys. Love you to bits and I'll see you Monday :D**

**Love  
Harley  
xoxoxo**


	23. Chapter 23 So it Begins!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 23 – So it Begins.**_

_**A month later; Whispering Pines, North Carolina;**_

_**Claire's POV;**_

When Jeff and Drea had admitted that they were not only talking but they were going to give things with them a shot – I had been completely blind sided because I just hadn't expected it. I don't think that Shannon, Matt and Britt had either if I were completely honest. The 4 of us had sat there completely silent when they had walked in to Matt's hand and hand a month ago.

After all the false starts and the fact that Drea hadn't been willing to accept his apologies; anyone would have excused us from feeling slightly taken aback by the news.

It wasn't that we weren't happy by the news because we all knew that they belonged together. Then when Drea had announced that she had accepted Jeff's gift by way of the building that he had purchased a few doors down from Shannon's tattoo shop and that she was finally going to make her dream come true of owning her own salon.

From that moment it had been all hands on deck. Whenever Britt and I had a spare moment we would head on over to the shop and help Drea out on planning the way that she wanted it to look and now that the builders were in; we were practically spending all of our free time at Gas Chamber Ink – so that we were close enough should anything go wrong or should Drea be needed. And we weren't too close that we were getting under the feet of the renovation people.

Today however, was a huge day for Drea – when she got together with Jeff she had said that she wanted to take it slow so that she could get it right but then she had confessed to Britt and I that she was worried Daniel wouldn't have really wanted this. It was something that she was scared to admit to Jeff – not that he would have minded – Jeff knew how much Drea had cared for her husband and she didn't want to do anything that would ruin or cheapen the memories that she had with Daniel.

Then Britt had a great idea last week – she had been raving about this woman that Matt had went too who could tell the future and when things that she had said about Matt had come true – it just reinforced what had been said so she had rooted around in the house to find the woman's number and made an appointment for Drea.

"So what time are the boys getting back?" Shannon asked plonking himself down next to me and smiling happily.

It still amazed me at how well Shannon and I got along – we could hang out together like this all the time or we could work together side by side day in and day out and if even the slightest sign of an argument presented itself – we were both smart enough to let it happen and then minutes later; we'd make up and it was like the argument had never happened. But when we did argue everyone knew to run in the opposite direction to us because it could be highly explosive. We were both highly strung people, we had views that we believed in whole heartedly and we were both the type of people who believed that we were right so when arguments came – it was best not to take sides because like I said; we could be at one another's throats one minute and then the next we were all romantic with one another again.

I was glad of that – because I hated the thought of going to sleep on an argument.

"Jeff said they'd be home a couple of hours after the taping of SD!"

Tonight was the night that Jeff was telling the WWE that he needed time off for a little while – people were understandably upset and fans were beside themselves falling on different sides of the fence – some were all for him taking the break that he so desperately needed and some were of the opinion that he was abandoning what had made him famous in the first place. The news had already broken about him not resigning and there were rumours that he was going to be leaving after Summerslam in less than 2 months time.

I was worried that it would take its toll on Jeff because he had been pushing his body so hard lately that we were all worried that he might slip back in to his old ways but then with Drea by his side as his girlfriend; he knew that she wasn't the type of girl who agreed with drugs no matter whether they were prescribed or not. Sure she would take a little something for a headache or for her period cramps – just like most of us – but she had to be really suffering before she would actually let a tablet cross over her lips.

"I bet you can't wait to get him to yourself huh?" Britt smiled.

Lately Matt had been out with an injury and he was just now getting back to training but I knew that having him home with her had made Brittany more than happy – it gave them much needed alone time and it gave our friend the chance to fuss over her man.

Then there was Shannon and I – when Shannon had left the WWE it wasn't anything that had been planned the way that Jeff had planned it but it had been on the cards for a while. Shannon felt like he wasn't getting his push and no one could blame him for that and besides the WWE were always pushing the wrong people; you just had to look at how long it took them to push Jeff to know that they truly didn't know what they had.

"I really can't – we've made some plans already and I can't wait. I know that he is just beat and he needs rest but he wants to experience his life properly before he decides about whether or not he will go back," Drea informed us.

For a new relationship – having one of the partners away from home all the time was hard but Drea had never stood in the way of Jeff's career and she would never even think to do so but it had to have been tough I can remember how tough it was getting used to Shannon being gone more often than he was at home.

It had caused some arguments between us in the beginning but then I had learned how to cope and how to lean on Drea and eventually Brittany when she came in to the fold. Having good friends was definitely what got you through it all and the love and understanding of your man.

It was however, a popular belief that Jeff would eventually go back and there was talk of him being a surprise entrant in the Rumble match at the beginning of the year but at the end of the day – that hadn't been set in stone. It truly depended on whether or not he enjoyed his time off too much.

"I can only imagine that one of those plans is you and him staying locked in the house for at least a month!" Shannon winked.

Because Drea had asked us not to mention what was going on with her and Jeff to the others we had remained tight lipped and I knew that Jeff wasn't the guy who talked about his sex life with anyone so Matt and Shannon were completely in the dark about the situation.

"That's the plan reject!" Drea smiled as she winked back at him acting as if they were just having a regular conversation.

Brittany and I knew that Drea was desperate to let Jeff all the way in but she had been hurt by his actions with Phoebe that she truly didn't know how to react to it. It was hard for her having lost so much in such a short period of time but then again; she was much stronger for it and that was something that she should be completely proud of.

Jeff was being so patient with his new girlfriend that it had shown us all a completely different side to him – it was a side that he hadn't truly shown any of us before but Drea had mentioned that she had seen it a couple of times – especially when she had been mourning her husband.

"So what is the plan for Night of Champions?" Shannon enquired again.

"Jeff's gonna win and then he'll keep the belt for the 3 weeks until Summerslam and lose it to Punk again!" Drea replied having obviously heard the plans from Jeff. "Then on the Tuesday taping of SD after Summerslam – it will be a loser leaves WWE match between Jeff and Punk and obviously Punk wins!"

We didn't have to watch the show or be that in to the whole wrestling world to know that the fans weren't going to be happy with that outcome but at the end of the day it gave Jeff his much needed time off and that was all that mattered.

"And Matty is gonna return to his face persona!" Brittany announced happily.

Although she loved to watch the darker side of her man – she still loved to watch him as a top face in the WWE. The crowds loved him as much as they did Jeff and when the storyline had called for him turning against Jeff – it had been received better than most people could have ever hoped – the majority of the fans bought in to it and believed that it was real, which I guessed was what the WWE were hoping for.

As I sat here listening to the friendly chatter between everyone – I suddenly realized that I was luckier than most people could ever hope to be. I had a group of friends who were more like my Family than my real Family had ever been and I had the love of a man who still after all these years could send my heart beating double time and my knees to knock together.

Most people thought of Shannon as loud and in your face but he was nothing like that at all. Firstly he was somewhat shy until you got to know him, he was sensitive in ways that most fans or other people could see and he would do absolutely anything for the people in his life. If there was something that he could do to help a friend out then he would pull out all the stops to make sure that he did it. I just had to remember all that he had done for me and the way he had put himself on the line to help me see that there was more to life than what my Parent's had led me to belief there was.

The love of my life was a much more unique individual than most people ever had the opportunity to see and I was glad that I was one of the very few who got to see him for the man that he really was.

Just as the conversation turned towards Matt the shop phone began ringing and Shannon excused himself to answer it only for him to call Drea over seconds later telling her that it was Jeff on the line.

_**Brittany's POV;**_

As I watched my friend making her way to the telephone, I couldn't help but feel happy for her. After all that she and Jeff had faced to get together – they deserved nothing more than true happiness. I just hoped that Phoebe wasn't going to become a factor again since we hadn't heard or seen her since Jeff had split up with her. For a normal person that would mean that she had seen the light and gave up but after what Jeff had told us about her apartment – none of us were stupid enough to believe that she had just crawled away to lick her wounds.

"So Britt – clearly you're happy about Matt turning face again?" Claire asked me as Shannon sat back down next to her and wrapped her up.

"Yeah I guess I am – maybe then people will stop with all their negative crap towards him you know?"

It had been so hard to sit back and watch the way he had been dissed when he turned heel especially when it had been towards Jeff. Some of the fans just couldn't see or believe that it was all staged – all they had to do was watch The Hardy Show to know that it wasn't real. Matt and Jeff were just as tight as brothers as they had ever been.

"I can absolutely understand that!" Claire agreed as Shannon nodded.

"_You have to be fucking kidding me? How the fuck did that happen?" _Drea yelled down the line.

Instantly Claire and I were up and heading towards her to offer support as it looked like her world had just come crashing down around her.

If Jeff had done something to hurt her then I swear to God I would kill him with my own 2 hands.

After all they had faced, after all that he had put Drea through – I couldn't believe that he would hurt her again but then again he was a man and men were capable of almost anything.

"_No Jeff I don't want that – you do? – no I just think – yeah that is for the best – I know – yeah I miss you too!" _She replied into the phone and I felt my anger subside when it was clear that this wasn't something that Jeff had done. _"Yeah I will be there – what time? – Ok I'll see you then – bye!" _

Hanging up the phone she stared at it for a few moments but then she turned and looked out the glass walls that looked on to the street and parking lot. There was a distant look on her face as if she were looking for something that wasn't even there. The look scared me to be honest – I had never seen her look like that before.

"What's wrong honey?" Claire enquired.

"Apparently the WWE magazine has received photos of Jeff and me when we thought we were alone!"

Alarm bells started sounding off in my head – Phoebe had to be behind this considering what Jeff had found in her apartment but where was she and how come we couldn't or hadn't seen her. Surely she wasn't as good as she thought she was – surely there was someway that we could find out where she was and when she was watching us.

"Oh honey – I know that you're not ready for this to go public yet!" I offered wrapping my arm around her.

"No I'm not but I guess I have no option. The magazine is posting them in this issue – they wanted me to do an interview with Jeff but I – I'm just not – I don't want to do that!"

It was hard for me to comprehend because I had wanted to scream from the roof tops that I was with Matt but then after just losing her husband a year ago – it was maybe more to do with what people were going to say about the relationship than anything else.

I couldn't even begin to imagine what Drea must have gone through when she had lost Daniel. To have vowed to be with someone forever and then lose them; God I had been surprised when she had still been functioning. I think that was the kind of thing that could break a person but with our help – as she said – she had made it through and come out the other side of it a much stronger person and I knew that if Phoebe thought she could break my friend then she'd have a much bigger fight on her hands than she realized.

"Maybe Jeff and I should make a comment on the message board to let everyone know – so that they don't think that we have been lying to them?" Drea admitted.

That was most definitely Drea through and through – it didn't matter what she felt so long as Jeff remained true to the fans and made sure that nothing was a huge blow then she was happy. And because the majority of the fans had wanted this from the beginning then maybe she was right in what she was saying.

"I think that maybe you should talk to Jeff about that first?" Claire suggested.

"You're right – I'm gonna go call him back!" Drea agreed moving and grabbing her cell phone from the table and headed outside to make the private call.

"Wow that's pretty heavy!" Claire said as we moved back to the sofas and sat down to wait for our friend to come back.

"What's going on?" Shannon asked.

I zoned out while Claire explained what was happening to Shannon. My mind wondered to Matt and wondering how his work out was going this morning. When I had first heard about the injury – I had been beside myself with worry. Fear that it might get worse while he waited to get the operation that he needed and fear that I might actually lose him.

I had been so mad at him when he had tried to work through it and even down played it from something serious to not so serious. I had screamed at him angrily about stop trying to be a martyr because he would be no use to his fans if he was unable to compete. Sometimes he just rubbed my back up the wrong way – especially when he wouldn't slow down. I knew that he was the work horse but damn it – he needed to take care of himself too.

Even now he was back training when he hadn't even been given the clear from the doctor. But as long as he stuck to his promise of not over doing it then I knew that I couldn't stop him. I just wanted to smack him upside the head sometimes for the way he seemed perfectly happy on putting himself on the line like he did.

"- wow that's heavy!" Shannon commented once Claire had finished telling him what was happening.

"It really is and you know Drea she is more worried about Jeff and the fans than what she is for what she wants!" Claire nodded.

Since getting together with Matt – I had figured that stubbornness was a Hardy trait and one that Drea had picked up when she had moved in with the Family. When it came to things that she wanted and what was right – she was stubborn as hell. Sometimes she tried to ensure that she wasn't being selfish but this was something that she had a direct say in and she was only worrying about what everyone else would say.

"I'm gonna go talk to her!" Shannon announced kissing Claire before jumping to his feet.

"Well make it snappy we're out of here in about 10 minutes!"

"Where the hell are y'all going that has to be so secretive?" Shannon asked turning back to look at Claire and myself.

"Its nothing that concerns you baby!" Claire advised him and then shooed him out of the shop to talk to his friend.

Muttering something about being unappreciated he headed in the direction of the entrance to his successful tattoo shop and disappeared from view. Claire turned and looked at me – this was going to be a long day. Drea had now been presented with something that she wasn't overly sure of wanting. It was like the decision had been taken out of their hands and now they had to scramble to try and get it back in their control.

The WWE had a tendency to make everything about them and in to a story – it didn't matter that they were advertising their workers personal lives to all and sundry – just as long as it brought in not only money but viewers they were happy. I just had to remember back to the whole Matt and Lita and Edge storyline to know that they had messed that up royally. And to rub salt in the wounds – they had fired Matt for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

It was because of things like that – that made me wonder why the guys stayed with the company but I guess Matt was right about his career being short and wanting to work at the top of the ladder while he could. I didn't have to like it but I did respect him and his decisions. It was his career after all.

Claire and I turned silent and I knew that she was probably thinking about the way the WWE had treated Shannon towards the end of his run on the show. It was ridiculous and very evident that the WWE were going to do what the WWE wanted to do – regardless of whether or not the fans wanted it.

Eventually it was time for us to go so we gathered up Drea's bag and headed out to get her to find her sobbing in Shannon's embrace. Claire and I moved up to them and Shannon gently passed her over to us then left us alone. The 3 of us stood there in the embrace for a few moments until Drea sobbed that she hated this whole thing being taken out of her and Jeff's hands but they had both agreed that a little statement posted on the message boards was the way to go.

**R/N - THANKS guys - I really can't thank you enough for the support and encouragement - if you want more then please leave me a review :) you guys are the best and I don't just say that, I mean it from the bottom of my heart - THANK YOU.**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	24. Chapter 24 Blessings!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 24 – Blessings.**_

_**Later That Night;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

Today had been somewhat of a weird day – first there was the whole photos deal that I was more than certain came from Phoebe and now I was looking over my shoulder trying to find her but there was no sign of anyone. Then there was the psychic that the girls had taken me to see. I had to admit that I hadn't been much of a believer – I was definitely in the percentage of people who thought it was all to do with body language and tell tale signs that you just weren't aware of making. That was until I met this woman – Leanne; there were just certain people who could do something like what she does and have no other explanation for it other than it being supernatural.

I just couldn't stop thinking about the things that she had told me. I wasn't too proud to admit that the woman had definitely converted me in to a believer. There was no way that I could have sat with her for 2 hours and not believe what she had told me.

The front room of the woman's home was not at all what I had expected – she had very simple and neutral tastes in decoration – pale colours gave the impression of space and comfort. I was more of a dark colour person but I had to admit that her cream and pastel colours looked inviting. There was no sign that she was a psychic; there were no tarot cards, no crystal balls or anything that I usually associated with these types of people. The air did however smell like incense but I knew that a lot of people used incense sticks – myself included. Framed photos decorated pretty much every available surface in the modest sized front room and a black and white cat stretched lazily on the black leather sofa.

The woman couldn't have been more than 35 years old and she had one of those kind faces that had made me feel at ease. When she had sat down she just watched me for a few moments and where normally that would have freaked me out – I found myself relaxing and becoming open for whatever she needed to say to me.

At first I hadn't believed that Daniel would come through – I thought that he might be mad at me because I had moved on with my life. I really should have known better – Daniel had never wanted anything for me more than for me to be happy. It had been one of the things that had drawn me to him – and I knew that in my own way I had loved him. Maybe it hadn't been the kind of love that I should have had for my husband; but it had been love none the less. And I dared anyone to try and tell me differently. I would most definitely defend the way I felt about him until the day I died.

Eventually Leanne had began talking at first it was about my earlier life – how my Parent's had just seemed to turn on me for what appeared to be no other reason other than me deciding to do something that they didn't believe girls should do. That had caught my attention immediately because that was exactly what had happened. When I had expressed my wish to become a wrestler – they had been beside themselves with their own prejudice and sexist attitude that I just couldn't ever forgive no matter how many years had now passed. Leanne had informed me that they were now regretting their decision and if I chose to talk to them; they would be open to mending bridges.

I honestly didn't know how I felt about that. I had been doing well on my own; I had made it through one of the worst years in my life without their help. I had all the support that I needed and I truly didn't believe that having them back in my life would benefit me any.

The topic of conversation turned towards my private life very quickly and Leanne requested that I only answer yes or no to her questions so that I could get the best reading that she had to offer. When she told me that there was a tall man stood behind me with his hand on my shoulder – I had known in a fraction of a second that it was Daniel. I still have no idea how I knew so whole heartedly that it was him but I did and I braced myself for the telling off that I was sure that I was going to get from him. However, nothing of the sort came.

Leanne informed me that the man behind me looked to be about 40 years old and that he was of a athletic build with dark brown hair and what appeared to be ocean blue eyes and in that moment I felt the tears begin to sting my eyes as his image burned in to my minds eye and I remembered all that I had lost when he had died. She told me that he was stroking my hair and telling her that he had loved to do that when he was alive and I knew that she wasn't a fake in that moment because there was no way that she could have known that about my husband.

The things that she had continued to tell me had blown my mind to say the least – first he had asked her to tell me that he wasn't in pain anymore. That the minute he crossed over he was welcomed in to the arms of Family that he hadn't seen in forever. Then she told me that he has been around a lot more often than I have realized and she asked if I was ever overcome with a feeling of warmth and peace, when I replied yes she told me that it was Daniel coming around and comforting me. I listened as she explained that he would lie on my bed and watch me, or he would curl against the window and watch me get ready to go out for the day or he would sit on the edge of the bath while I lay in the warm water crying about whatever had managed to upset me and how he desperately wanted to wrap his arms around me to comfort me the way a real husband could do or the way he had when he was alive.

It was at that moment that the conversation turned to Jeff – she hadn't mentioned his name but she had known his description to a t and she had described our connection without a problem. I listened as she said that Daniel was telling me that it was ok to move forward with my life – that he didn't expect me to mourn for the rest of my life. And in his eyes there was no one better for me than Jeff. I had to admit that, that made me feel better about where my relationship with my best friend was going.

Jeff had been nothing short of amazing in his patience with me – he had told me that we were taking this at my pace and when I was ready I'd know. For the past month our kissing had reached feverish levels – the way he would touch me, the love in his eyes as he watched me and the tenderness of his lips moving against my own had left me aching for him but I had been so worried that somehow it would upset Daniel if he knew that I was doing this and it had stopped me from letting things go any further than just kissing and touching.

Leanne had gone on to tell me that Daniel was insisting on me moving forward and letting Jeff in. There was no doubt in my belief of her abilities when she had explained all the previous times that Jeff and I had almost gotten together then she explained that this was the last time that it would happen and if I wanted it then I had to grip it with both hands now and not let go. That did kind of scare me to be honest – I wasn't sure that I was ready for this but then as I thought about Jeff I knew that he was the one – he had always been the one and nothing would ever change that in my eyes.

I didn't want to end up alone and I didn't want to lose my best friend who was slowly taking over my heart in a way that I hadn't believed was possible. I had to learn to accept that it was finally happening and just enjoy it for what it was.

What had freaked me out was at the very end of the reading when Brittany, Claire and myself were walking out the door – Leanne had stopped me and told me to be careful. It had been in a hushed tone but I caught the hidden desperation in her voice.

What had she meant?

Was that a message from Daniel?

What did it mean?

Even now a few hours later sitting here in Raleigh airport waiting for Jeff's flight to get in – I couldn't stop thinking about what she had meant by saying that to me. As my eyes scanned the crowds of happy people coming and going about their business – I was looking for danger in any type of form but nothing jumped out at me.

Great! I was turning in to a neurotic woman. I knew that there was something in what Leanne had told me because I had caught the fear in her eyes but I just couldn't rid myself of the thoughts that I needed to remember it but not allow it to control me.

Before I knew what the time was or where it had gone the announcement of Jeff's flight landing was being played through the airport. My stomach flipped with excitement of seeing him again, of being in his arms, of feeling completely safe with him. It was a hard feeling to describe but it was definitely there and I didn't want it to be any other way.

I was finally ready to move forward with my life and let Jeff in. That was why I had the surprise for him at his house.

By the time I got to my feet the plane was already landed and the passengers were filing in through the gate. My eyes quickly scanned for him and saw the purple and blue in his hair before any other part of him and again my stomach flopped excitedly.

God I felt like a teenager with a silly crush again.

The minute he saw me; he broke free of the crowd and moved quickly towards me; dropping his bags and pulling me in to his powerful arms. With my face buried in his shoulder I felt my weight being lifted from the ground.

"God I missed you!" He growled softly in to my ear.

"I missed you too baby," I agreed with him placing light kisses to his neck and feeling the true weight of his frame trembling under me.

"You did huh?"

"Absolutely! More than I ever have before!"

As I stood back and just looked at him – I knew that it was important to be completely honest with him now that we were together and if that meant that I had to be completely vulnerable with him then I was prepared to take that chance. Just knowing that Daniel was ok with this relationship made me happier and more comfortable than I had ever thought I could be since his death.

"Me too – it feels weird cos we've been best friends for so long that I thought that I had felt everything there was to feel for you but damn it Drea – I can't fight how I truly feel any longer,"

"Lets get home and we can discuss this more?"

"You're ready to do that?"

From the minute that we had decided to give a relationship a chance – Jeff had been so supportive and patient with me. Everything that he did for me was fuelled with his need to please me but at the end of the day he didn't need to prove anything to me; I knew the man he was, I knew that he was everything that I had ever wanted and in many ways I wished that we hadn't wasted so much time in pretending that there was only friendship between us. It had been stupid on both of our parts because we had missed out on so much.

But as we made our way out of the airport I knew that now was the time that we were going to make up for all that we had missed out on together.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Just being away from her for a few days and I was weak without her – I needed her to know how I felt because I already felt like we had wasted enough time. My stupid notion of us just being friends was never really going to work and when I looked back on it now I knew that I had been completely foolish.

Once I had put my luggage in the boot of the car, I moved around to the passenger seat and settled in for the ride back to my place. Taking the cigarette that Drea offered me; I lit up and inhaled deeply – just concentrating on my breathing for a few moments.

"So how was your time at work?" Drea asked as she finally pulled out in to the main stream of traffic.

"God it was long and it was tiring – I don't think I've pushed myself this hard in the longest time," I admitted.

With the feud that I had with CM Punk at the moment – I was being pushed to my very edge. I'd work – come out of the ring – feeling as if I had gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson or a bull dozer and in the moment I couldn't figure which I would prefer in reality. I was on the home stretch now though – I had the PPV on Sunday which was 3 days away and then I would have the belt for 3 weeks until Summerslam and then I'd be home free.

I hadn't quite decided how long I was going to take off but I knew that I needed it desperately and that was something that not only my friends and Family could see but my fans and the people that I worked with could see it too.

Glancing across at Drea as she drove us homeward I knew that there was no other woman on the planet that could captivate me the way that she did. Watching the way her eyes scrunched in concentration, the way her tongue snaked out every few minutes to wet her beautiful full lips and the way her hair framed her pretty face and could hide it in a split second if she were embarrassed.

"What?" She suddenly asked me.

"What, what?" I asked back.

"Why are you staring at me -?"

"What I'm not allowed to look at you now?"

"You're making me nervous – quit it!"

"Can't!" Was the only reply that I would give her and when she stared giggling it was like music to my ears.

That soft little gargle that came from the back of her throat that escaped by way of giggles was the best sound in the world and knowing that I had caused it seemed to fill me with a pride that I had never felt before.

It didn't seem to matter how long I had known that she was the one – nothing could have prepared me for the way it felt so right to come home to her. Or the way it made my heart jolt to wake up next to her in the morning or to hear her say goodnight at the end of a day. Reaching my free hand to her hair and gently sweeping it back behind her ear so I could just watch her I felt perfectly at peace right in this moment.

"So what is on the cards for tonight?" I asked inhaling deeply on my cigarette.

"You'll see!"

"Ahh its like that huh?"

"It's a surprise so stop acting like a spoiled brat and just wait until we get home!" She scolded me playfully.

"No fair!" I pouted earning me another bubble of giggles to fill the car.

I really couldn't get enough of that sound. It felt good to be in a relationship where we didn't feel the need to rush things and there weren't any signs of us having to get to know one another because we already knew everything there was to know about one another. I guess being friends first really was a benefit that I hadn't even taken in to account before.

"God you're worse than a little kid on Christmas eve," She informed me as she made the right turn that would take us to the road that would lead in to Cameron.

"I do what I can!"

I didn't personally think that it was very fair of her to make me wait for my surprise considering the fact that she was worse than I was when it came to patience. Drea hated surprises – because she was literally so impatient that when my Dad talked about her he always said he was surprised she waited the full 9 months to make her appearance in to the world.

"Incorrigible!"

"Oh baby I am in more ways than you know!" I replied as the sight of the road leading in to my property came into view.

It had never felt so comforting to come home before but just knowing that I had my girl and an nice new home to come home too I was more than happy. I was delirious in fact.

"Don't I know it!" Drea laughed as she pulled through the entrance that led on to the dirt track that would take us right to the front of the house.

I had to admit that I was in love with my new home – it was much more than I had ever thought it could be. I wasn't the type of man that liked very many material possessions – my last home; the trailer had been more than enough for me but I hadn't realized that it was just too dangerous so when it came to building a new place; I wanted it as safe as possible.

"Ok I want you to stay in the car for 5 minutes -!"

"Why?" I asked pouting at her again.

"Mr. Hardy – would you just please be patient for 5 minutes and do as I ask?" She purred leaning over and brushing her soft warm lips against my own – rendering me in to a slave in the matter of seconds. "Good boy!" She smiled knowing that she had me right where she wanted me.

Feeling literally incapable of moving as I watched the way she slid out of the car and made her way towards the front door and disappeared inside. I rested back in my seat for a few moments before climbing out and stretching my legs somewhat.

The air felt thick as if there were a storm coming our way and I knew that I should think about getting inside but I had to wait – I didn't want to spoil whatever Drea was doing inside for me. I hadn't seen her this excited in a long time – of course she was overly excited about the shop but then again she was feeling somewhat redundant when it came to it because the builders were still working on the plans that she and I had designed for the way the lay out should be inside. But she had plenty of other things to keep her occupied – she still had her clients, she was making up price lists and printing cards and leaflets, she was setting up all the phone numbers, she was doing all the painting herself so she was looking at colour charts and she was looking at the type of furniture she wanted to be placed inside.

I had to admit that when it came to business she had an eye for it and I knew that she wouldn't have any problem in paying me back the money like she had insisted on doing when I had presented her with the building. Personally I didn't mind if she didn't pay me back because I knew how much she had wanted this and for how long.

Finally the 5 minutes were up and I moved in to the house. Darkness met me in the front entrance but littered all the way up the stairs were candles and what appeared to be rose petals on the floor; blowing the candles out on the way up – I followed the lighting in to the bedroom to find Drea lying on the bed in a sexy negligee that highlighted every single dip and curve of her impressive body. I couldn't stop myself from gulping as I closed the door behind me and just looked at the beauty of her features in the soft mood lighting.

"What's all this?" I finally managed to ask.

"It's time for you and me to take things to the next level!" She replied getting to her knees and moving to the very edge of the bed where she reached for my belt and pulled me towards her.

"Are you-you sure thi-this is what you want?" I stuttered as the soft feel of her fingers trailed up under my shirt – pulling it upwards until it was being thrown across the room.

"I've never been more sure of anything!" She whispered in a sultry tone as she knelt up on her knees and tenderly brushed her lips against my own. "I don't want to wait anymore!"

Lost in her eyes – I knew that I wasn't going to ever find another woman as amazing as this one who was pressing herself hard in to my body. I was more than grateful that the weird stage was over – when we had first got together it had definitely felt weird kissing her and touching because of how long that we had been friends but this moment – this felt completely right and it felt like I was about to lose the very last sliver of myself in her.

My arms claimed her tightly and gave in to my fate.

**R/N - So are you guys glad that they are together? Let me know what you think, please? Love you guys to bits, see you Monday :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	25. Chapter 25 'Til We Ain't Stranger's

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 25 – 'Til We Ain't Stranger's Anymore.**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

This was the moment that I had been nervous about the whole ride back here – I had been worried that maybe Jeff wouldn't want me. I was convinced that he might be wanting to wait longer but I just didn't want to wait – hell I had waited my whole life for this moment and now that I had the ok from my husband; I felt like I just wanted to lock us away for the next month and blow everyone else off.

Using the remote control that I had next to me on the bed, I pressed play and the room was engulfed in the romantic ballad from the CD that I had placed inside. For some reason the first song reminded me of everything that Jeff and I had been through to get to this point. All the challenges – all the times that we had nearly managed to get it together and something would get in the way. Gently reaching for my hands; Jeff pulled me slowly to my feet.

'_It might be hard to be lovers, But it's harder to be friends, Baby, pull down the covers, It's time you let me in, Maybe light a couple candles, I'll just go ahead and lock the door, If you just talk to me baby, Till we ain't strangers anymore,'_

With his powerful arms wrapped around my waist; his body began to slowly move us in time to the music; all the time his face rested against the side of my face – the feel of his breath against my bare flesh was enough to leave me trembling.

The feel of his hands began to travel over the top of the negligee and the satin feel on my flesh felt better than I could have ever hoped; resting my head against his chest – I felt completely at ease. There was nothing that could interrupt this moment and there was nothing that could change the way I felt for this man.

'_Lay your head on my pillow, I sit beside you on the bed, Don't you think its time we say, Some things we haven't said, It ain't too late to get back to that place, Back to where, we thought it was before, Why don't you look at me, Till we ain't strangers anymore, Sometimes it's hard to love me, Sometimes it's hard to love you too, I know it's hard believing, That love can pull us through, It would be so easy, To live your life, With one foot out the door, Just hold me baby, Till we ain't strangers anymore,'_

The feel of the satin sweeping over my flesh had my arms reaching above my head until the slinky material was lying on the floor and my naked body was being pulled against his large bulk; the heat from his flesh was enough to leave me shaking with anticipation.

'_It's hard to find forgiveness, When we just turn out the light, It's hard to say you're sorry, When you can't tell wrong from right, It would be so easy, To spend your whole damn life, Just keeping score, So let's get down to it baby, There ain't no need to lie, Tell me who you think you see, When you look into my eyes, Lets put our two hearts back together, And we'll leave the broken pieces on the floor, Make love with me baby, Till we ain't strangers anymore, We're not strangers anymore, We're not strangers, We're not strangers anymore,'_

"Can I -?"

"Can you what?" I asked pulling my head back just to look in to his soulful eyes. It didn't matter what we were doing, it didn't matter where we were he just had those type of eyes that always looked like they were taking everything in that was around him.

"Can I just look – at you?" He enquired his tone light and more than a little nervous sounding.

I could feel the heat flushing to my face as I slowly stood back stood before him in a pair of crotchless panties and a pair of black heeled shoes – trying to make myself look higher than I really was. I watched the way his eyes slowly ate up every inch of my body and the shiver snaked down my spine from just that one look from him.

Where I had thought that it might feel weird actually letting him see me like this; it surprised me that it really didn't. It just felt like the natural progression of our friendship.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Just standing here looking at the way she looked – the way her hair tumbled down over her shoulders in large seductive looking curls; hiding her breasts from view, the flat shape of her stomach, the way her thighs seemed to call to me in a way that I was sure were tenting my jeans as they tightened across me. Those long legs that were accented by her tattoos and the way those garter ties were hanging from the panties that she was wearing.

I had never seen her look more beautiful – or vulnerable. It was present in her eyes – the way that she felt slightly unsure of how she looked or the way she thought that I was seeing her but she had absolutely nothing to worry about – I couldn't have thought that she looked sexier.

"You're so beautiful!" I whispered scared that my natural sounding voice would scare her away or that – at worst – it would wake me up from this amazing dream.

"You're not so bad there yourself handsome!" She replied throwing the compliment right back at me.

I knew that it was just her way – she was a very self conscious girl even though she really had no reason to be. It wasn't hard to see that she was easily one of the most beautiful girls in the world – at least in my eyes – there had just never been anyone who could come close to being as gorgeous as she was.

My body convulsed towards her as she slowly began walking to the bed; her hips swaying in a sinful way that had my jeans tighten so badly that I was sure she was trying to cut off the circulation.

Moving up behind her; my arms claimed her frame tightly; my erection was digging in to her back and throbbing against her hard. I don't actually think that I had ever wanted someone as much as I wanted her in this moment.

As if independent from my mind – my hands roamed over the dips and curves of her body and was glad when she wasn't like a stick insect to my touch. I much preferred woman to have a real figure and a little meat on their bones. I heard the sharp intake of breath that came from her throat as my fingers curled around her perfectly shaped breasts; she was trying to kill me as she pushed back against my raging cock; it felt like I was going in to shock as I thrust forward towards her – desperate to feel her all around me.

"Mmmmmm Jeff!" She purred as her body moved away from me and on to the bed before turning around and giving me a full view of what was waiting for me. "Get undressed baby!" She purred in a sultry tone that did little to calm the now raging fire inside me.

I didn't need telling twice – I discarded my cloths quickly and crawled on to the bed where Drea was lying waiting for me; a big smile playing over those bee stung lips that called to me every time I was near her. Leaning in a placing a light tender kiss to her lips; she met me with the same passion when the kiss deepened and we were lost in the moment. The stereo continued to play the romantic ballads as my eyes became tangled in the dark shine of her own while the candle light danced around the room.

"You're really sure?" I whispered softly.

"Never been more sure about anything in my life!" She purred back reaching her fingers up my arm until she was cupping my face gently. "It's our time isn't it?"

As I took comfort from her I knew that she was definitely right – it was our time. We had waited way too damn long for this moment and when I looked back in to her eyes – I knew that I was in love with her. I had never loved anyone but her – I had been going through the motions with other women but when it came to Drea; she had always had my heart and she always would. It didn't matter if people said it was too soon and it sure as hell didn't matter what people thought of us.

"Let me show you how much I agree with you," I growled softly reaching for her hand and leaning in to kiss her once again.

The medicated lip gloss that she had splashed on her lips transferred on to my own and left my own lips tingling. Our lips moved perfectly in time with one another's and as my eyes landed on the clock to see that it was almost midnight – that didn't matter, I was going to spend the rest of the night making love to her until she could barely walk.

The feel of her tiny yet powerful arms wrapped around me – for as small and fragile as she looked; it amazed me that she could look after herself without too much of a problem. The care that she took of her body was evident in the way her muscles turned taught under my touch – a touch that was making her shake to the very core. The satin smooth of her milky white flesh was driving me right past the brink of desire and straight in to the kind of hunger that I had now realized was always bubbling in the pit of my stomach for her.

"You feel so soft!" I whispered breaking the kiss that had been raging between us; my forehead resting against hers as she gasped deeply when my fingers brushed against her pussy. "You like that?"

"Mmmmm yes – oh God yes!" She panted heavily as her eyes shone at me once again in the light of the candles.

I couldn't stop the smile from coming to my face as I gently spread her legs so that I could get much better access. Just to draw it out; I let the tips of my fingers lightly trace up and down the inside of her thigh – every now and again brushing lightly against her pussy.

"Please!" She pleaded.

"What?" I asked pulling back and looking down to her panting stomach – watching her breathless ribs descend and inflate; my eyes travelled slowly down to my fingers and watched the tremble in her leg with every long delicate stroke that I made.

"Don't tease me!" She panted in a needy tone that did little to deflate my hunger.

Looking in to those beautiful honey coloured eyes I watched the way they pleaded and begged me in the same fashion as her words in fact I had to believe that her eyes were screaming louder than her words had.

I couldn't fight it anymore and my eyes travelled down over her panting frame; watching the way the flames from the candles were dancing erotically on her beautiful flesh. Everything about this woman had me captivated to the point where I didn't even know where I ended and she began anymore. My hand brushed more confidently against her most personal area and the gasp filled the air for a long second that I couldn't escape had I ever wanted too.

_**Drea's POV;**_

The arousal rose from the pit of my stomach and spread to every single part of my body including my hips which seemed to automatically thrust up to meet his tender touch. I needed this from him – I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anyone. I couldn't look away from the handsome features that made him the most attractive man in the world. My stomach knotted with excitement as I felt the soft smooth sensation of his fingers slipping through my wet folds and burying themselves deeper inside.

Watching the way his eyes were hungrily feeding on the scene of him bringing me right to the very brink of frenzy. My fingers slid down to meet his and we both slid into my warm hot centre.

"You're so wet!" He growled as my legs tightened together to get better friction.

"Mmmmm I need more – I want more!" I groaned out desperately.

I didn't care if it was a marathon session – all I wanted was to experience this with him. Besides we had all night to turn this in to something more than release for the first time.

"All in good time princess!" He growled his response to me.

I could feel that familiar flutter of tingles beginning deep in my stomach as he slid 2 more fingers in to my core and began stimulating me to the point where I was beginning to see stars. My heart thundered in a chaotic pattern and my stomach was tightening towards that kind of release that would have me so high that it'd be hard to come back down.

"God I want to taste you so bad!" He groaned into my ear before burying his face in my neck and kissing lightly over the flesh that did little to calm the raging fire that had been ignited in the pit of my stomach.

"There will be plenty time for that later – please – I don't – I can't wait any – longer!" I panted breathlessly – it amazed me that he knew which buttons to press to get me into this type of hungry desire that just couldn't be denied.

Almost as if he were at the end of his patience or whether he was as worked up as I was – he slowly began to withdraw his fingers from inside my burning furnace and moved so that he was positioned between my legs; his powerful cat like eyes more pronounced by the candle light and I could feel the sliver of excitement charge through me at what seemed like a thousand watts a second. The feel of his cock gently nudged at my dripping entrance was like nothing I had ever felt – I wanted to desperately pull him all the way in and just give in to the connection that was strong between us.

Grabbing for my hands he pinned them to the bed above my head and charged into me in one long, powerful thrust that instantly had my back arch from the bed. I had never felt anything this sinfully good in the past – no one had ever forced me to take all of their girth in one go like that and I had never realized just how amazingly pleasurable it could feel.

My walls gripped him tightly, blanketing his throbbing member in a thick sheathe of my liquid that was flowing from me in what appeared to be buckets. After just lying and touching me, working me up until I couldn't possibly stand the pleasure anymore without having his entire length emerged inside me – he had given me what I wanted and craved the most – and it was like a flood of my hot cum flowing through my centre with only destruction on its mind.

Resting his weight on top of my body; my legs tightened around his thick waste giving his cock all the friction that either of us could handle as he began to drag out; throbbing hard against every small quivering nerves inside me. The friction rose, the sweat began to pour but we were too lost in the passion to even care about that – hell I was surprised that I had even noticed it because I was so lost in this man's majestic eyes. With one look this man could resolve me in to a trembling hungry wreck.

"Drea -!"

"Mmmm," I panted as my head sunk further in to the pillow and stared at the ceiling; exposing my neck to him.

"I love you!" He whispered resting his head next to my own and I had to take a moment to register what he had just said.

I knew that people were going to say that we were being too rash and foolish but that wasn't what we were being. For – near enough – our whole lives we had been in love with one another – but we had just been too scared to admit it out loud. If anything we had been more cautious and reserved than most kids our age would or could ever hope to be.

"I love you too!" I replied as his face moved to look in to my own and the minute the words were out of my mouth his own lips had crashed on to my own and we were lost in a kiss to powerful that if I had been standing up I would have collapsed in to a puddle on the floor.

The powerful yet deliberate slow thrusts that he inflicted on me were driving me crazy – I wanted more and I wanted it faster but every time I tried to quicken the pace he would slow to an eventual stop altogether. I had to admit that I liked the idea of being dominated by him in bed – the feel of his impressive structure grinding against my own body was almost more than I could bear to handle.

I had never and would never love any other man the way that I had always loved Jeff. Not only was he my best friend – he was my soul mate and I was glad that we had met one another when we had.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

My hips were grinding against hers in a deliberate slow motion that had her moaning out my name in a husky voice that did little to make me want this to end. The feel of her own hips rolling in time with my own was like a huge head rush of acceptance of how right this felt.

Our lips parted but continued to tease one another with near kisses that seemed to leave my body trembling in a way that shock me to the very core. I had never felt this kind of sexual connection with a woman before. Everything seemed to slide in to place when Drea and I had come together like this. There was no going back now – it was all or nothing and as I even thought that the song all or nothing began to play from the stereo making this mean more to me than I would ever be able to express.

'_All or Nothing, When I first saw you standing there, You know it was a little hard not to stare, So nervous when I drove you home, I know being apart is a little hard to bare_,'

It was true when I had first met Drea – I had been so nervous maybe not in the way that the song portrayed but my fear had still been very real. The girl that she had been was somewhat intimidating because she was such an incredible force of energy that drew people towards her – I still didn't know or understand what had made her take notice of me; I was just glad that she had.

With our bodies joined as one; we were moving in perfect unison, we were lost in the passion that had erupted and I was pretty sure that the bed was turning to fire from the heat but I could care less; just watching her eyes close and the way she panted erratically made me swell with pride and intensify my movements because I knew that I was causing that look on her face – that look of complete unadulterated pleasure that was the most beautiful sight that I had ever witnessed.

"_Mmmmmm harder! Mmmmmm oh God Jeff yes – yes – yes – yes – yes! Mmmmm Jjjjjjjjjjeeeeeffffffffff!" _She cried out as her pussy began to quiver desperately around my shaft as I powered harder in to her until the bed was banging against the wall.

Suddenly I was grateful to the fact that we didn't have any guests staying over because no doubt they would be ribbing us in the morning. My fingers tightened around her tiny hand as I thrust harder and faster until the moans and cries turned to screams of pure pleasure as the true flood of her cum sprayed my cock so thickly that I was sliding in and out of her with perfect ease. My body moved at a little faster pace yet her release didn't seem like it was coming to an end anytime soon.

Then almost as if I were witness to a firework display bright sparks of lights flashed before my eyes and I was twitching on top of her body unloading all of my seed in to her and the pleasure was like none that I had ever experienced with a woman.

Was this what love making felt like when you were really in love with your partner?

I didn't know all I knew was that all my senses vacated my head as I roared out her name before coming to an eventual stop and collapsing down on to her sweating and heaving body. Nothing could have prepared me for what being with her would be like and in all honesty I didn't think that there really was anything that could have prepared me for it.

'_This is it nothing to hide, One more kiss never say goodbye, This is it baby your all mine, Looking at all or nothing, Babe it's you and I, I know that I am good for something, So lets go give it a try, We got our backs against the ocean, It's just us against the world, Looking at all or nothing, Babe it's you and I, With you I know that, I am good for something, So lets go give it a try, We got our backs against the ocean, It's just us against the world, Looking at all or nothing, Babe it's you and I, Looking at all or nothing, Babe it's you and I, Babe it's you and I,'_

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are reading and taking the time to review - I LOVE you guys to bits. You make writing worthwhile - and if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing so thanks again. If you want more, please just let me know :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	26. Chapter 26 Morning After!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 26 – Morning After.**_

_**A Few Hours Later;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

For the whole night – Jeff and I had been making love and there hadn't seemed to be an end in sight but I didn't actually want there to be an end in sight because I had never felt so completely connected with a man before. I had, had connections but nothing like this burning – almost – consuming link with the man that I knew I was in love with. It was painful to be with him and not tell him what I was feeling but he hadn't mentioned what he felt for me – and I didn't want him to think that I was rushing it.

Sometime around 5.30 we had both collapsed sweating, exhausted and out of breath. Even though we both wanted to continue – we knew that we were completely drained of energy and slowly we drifted in to sleep wrapped around one another; like snakes snaring their victims.

As I lay in slumber I could feel my body rejuvenating towards more energy and that would definitely mean more love making. That statement left me somewhat bewildered – I had thought that I had love made to me before but after what Jeff and I shared – it most definitely hadn't been anything more than sex. The heights that Jeff seemed able to take me too were far beyond anything and anyone from my past. My levels were rising and my need was beginning to push through the haze of sleep. And that was when I felt it – the sharp sting of nibbling in my inner thighs.

Struggling to wake up; my eyes fluttered open and landed on the bunch in the sheets between my legs – my head rolled to the side but Jeff wasn't there and that was when I felt the hot breath blowing slowly over my thighs. The feel of his soft fingers gliding against my flesh was more than I could begin to bear but he wasn't done with me apparently – the daylight had brought a newly charged man in to my wake and I didn't want this to ever end. I didn't think that my hunger for him would ever be satisfied especially if this was anything to go by. I desperately wanted to reciprocate the way his lips were inching closer to the spot that could turn me in to his willing victim.

My breath became lodged deep in the back of my throat as I felt the smooth sensation of the flat of his tongue brushing long and delicately against my slit. My entire being seemed to shiver with the kind of excitement that could rival that of a dare devil taking another chance for something life threatening. My thighs began to tremble violently until I felt the confident press of Jeff's hands on either side of them pushing them sideways.

"_Mmmmm!" _A low growl came from under the black sheet and I couldn't seem to string a cohesive thought together from the way it made me feel.

Something on a much deeper level inside of me gripped on to Jeff tightly and I couldn't suddenly stop thinking about spending the rest of my life with this man. When we had come together the previous times during the night – it had felt weird that it didn't feel weird. I thought that stepping over that line of friends in to lovers would have brought some kind of weird feeling but there had been nothing. It had been almost as if we had both just waited for this to happen.

"_You taste good!" _He growled from still under the sheets.

I was still trembling and shivering so much that I couldn't seem to find my voice – it was suddenly like I had become mute during the sleep that I had, had. I wanted to tell him not to stop, I wanted to tell him to keep going but every time my lips moved the silence would jump from deep inside.

"_I know you're awake __– mmmmm – come on baby; talk to me!" _He groaned once again.

'_Jesus I want to scream at the top of my lungs Jeff but something's wrong; I can't make a noise! What have you done to me?' _I screamed out in my head.

Slowly the sheets moved and his head slid up my body until he was face to face with me. The concern sparkled in his radiant green eyes and I couldn't pull out of their intensity if the desire had so wished me to. The small flicker of fear and uncertainty flashed over his features for the merest second before I smiled at him unable to do anything else and the upturning of his lips pulled at the corners until it looked like his eyes were smiling too.

"Jeff –!" I managed to get out softly and a little croaky at the same time.

"You thirsty?" He asked me and I nodded my head hoping that maybe some lubricant on my throat would help me be able to talk properly instead of looking at him like I was some descendent of the Rain Man.

Without another word being said – he jumped from the bed and jolted out of the room as if he were on a mission. Laying back on the pillows and staring at the ceiling; I thought about all that had taken place between us in the past 6-7 hours. I had never thought that we would ever get our acts together and just give in to one another but here we were completely together and nothing seemed able to penetrate our connection to one another.

For all the fear that I had felt at giving myself to my best friend – I had found myself completely calm about what had taken place in this bed over the past hours. If I hadn't met that psychic yesterday then maybe this wouldn't have happened yet but then again it might have because I knew that resisting the urge to make that final and complete connection with him had been getting harder and harder to do. Every time we were alone with one another I couldn't fight the desire that had been tugging at my heart or the way my insides ached to feel that powerful rush of giving yourself to someone completely. I hadn't had that since Daniel had died – and now as I thought about my husband; I was more than peaceful about him being gone. I knew that he wasn't in pain and I knew that he was watching over me; not that I had ever doubted that but just knowing it and knowing that he was ok with Jeff and me being together just made everything else seem to click in to place.

Not even Phoebe could ruin this calm feeling settling in to my bones – my life had finally come together. I had my work, I had my new salon opening soon, I had my best friends around me and I had the most perfect, gorgeous and wonderful boyfriend that I could have ever asked for.

In many ways Daniel had taught me so much about being with someone and showing and sharing love with them. Without him, I doubt that I would have been able to make anything with anyone – let alone with Jeff – work.

A few seconds later Jeff rushed back in to the room carrying a glass of water for me. I could see that he was concerned and once I had gulped half the glass down, I reached for him and pulled him to me; gently brushing the loose strands of hair, that had fallen while he slept, out of his beautiful features.

Was beautiful the right word?

It just didn't seem to warrant the right amount of description of what Jeff was. He was so much more than what words could describe in the looks department. Then there was the man that he was on top of that – he was one of those individuals who just seemed to make people gravitate towards him without so much as a twitch of his nose.

"I'm fine baby – you may resume!" I smiled brushing my lips to his attentively and watching the way his eyes sparkled with that smile once again.

"You're sure?" He asked breaking the kiss long enough to ask me his question before lightly brushing his lips against mine time and time again in such an agonizingly slow motion that once again I was trembling out of control.

"Mmhmm!" I mumbled nodding my head and relaxing backwards as once again his lips moved slowly down my exposed neck; the gentle prickle of his teeth biting in to the flesh aroused another more powerful wave of excitement to rise in me.

My eyes closed as the delirium began to sink in to every bone in my body until I felt heavy and completely relaxed. This was a new feeling for me – I had never felt so subdued when having sex but I gave Jeff the reins; because there really was no point in fighting the power that he had over me. I was at his mercy and he knew it. My fingers tangled themselves in his multi-coloured hair and wasn't at all surprised that the long locks began to tumbled through my fingers like satin; giving the same feeling of sand slipping through your fingers.

"_Mmmmmmm," _I couldn't stop myself from moaning out when his lips brushed lightly against my already erect nipples.

Unable to stop himself; he continued teasing me in ways that I were sure to be illegal in many states. My insides constricted with the excitement that he had racing through my body and the way his hands seemed intent on massaging and tracing against every single area of flesh – I was a mess of writhing limbs under him as my hands gripped for the sheet and twirled them tightly until my flesh was turning a white colour. Once again my breath became lodged in the back of my throat and I was unable to string a recognisable thought together.

"_!" _My voice tore out of me in a long strangled gargle but damn it he was driving me crazy.

Every inch of my body was on a heightened arousal – ripples of goose bumps erupted over my flesh and I was panting to get much needed air in to my deprived lungs as his lips clamped around my breast and I was unable to ascertain what he was doing with it but the arousal that it stirred deep inside me back to show its evidence by leaking on to the sheet underneath me.

Nothing in my life had ever felt this animalistically full of pleasure – I was falling end over end in the rip tide that was threatening to drag me away from my sanity.

Why had I never had this kind of sex before?

Why had I never been with a man who had me literally forgetting who I was?

Had I had to go through everything that I had so that I could appreciate this more when I got it?

Long primal growls and snarls were coming from deep in Jeff's throat as he continued to work me in to the kind of state that I swore had to be illegal in _'every' _state. I never wanted to recover from this moment – I didn't want him to ever stop making feel like this – it was like all my feelings before had been dull and struggling to remain lit but this was like open my eyes for the very first time and seeing the bright world around me.

While his fingers teased my free nipple in to a hardened peak, I was fighting to remain conscious – most people would say that it wasn't possible to pass out from having foreplay but clearly none of those people had ever had Jeff Hardy working them up in to a frenzy that would be hard to come down from. I couldn't see anything but the red passion that was sparking before my eyes and I was drowning in the way he was doing everything in his power to make me a writhing mess underneath his powerful build that was keeping me pinned to the bed.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Ever since I had woken up about an hour ago – I had just lain on my side watching this beautiful sleeping peacefully next to me. The wonder of the way her long lashes brushed against her cheeks, the small parting of her bee stung lips curled upwards every now and again and the way her long blond hair fanned out on the black pillow case making her look like a Angel completely unaware of her own pull.

It was like her body was buzzing with static and chemistry towards me – calling me closer and closer until my lips were lightly grazing against the soft smooth flesh of her neck until she was letting out content little moans of pleasure and that seemed to be all it took for me to give in to the feeling and just allow myself to enjoy her sinful body once again.

After a long night of love making – most people would have needed a day to recoup but damn it; I never wanted to stop doing this to her. I wanted the rest of my life to be about pleasing her in ways that no one had ever done in the past. I knew that she had to feel it – I had felt it so strongly that we had never had this kind of deep rooted connection and I had to wonder if maybe our friendship had been the basis of this feeling. Looking up in to her eyes for a mere second was like looking in to a deep ocean of desire and passion that seemed to glow as the sliver of light from the open curtains bounced off them. I was drowning and I couldn't stand the feeling before pulling my lips from her breast and placing light feather kisses to every inch of her exposed flesh – the way her flesh seemed to ripple against my invasion, the way her breathing became completely laboured and almost lodged in the back of her throat and the way her fingers slowly reached for my hair once again and began pushing me closer to her body until I was nipping gently at the glistening flesh.

My tongue carved long lines of my intent in to the flesh of her body and the tremble began quickly – we were lost in one another completely. I knew that I could never walk away from her – she had me completely at her mercy. I never wanted to leave this warm and safe bubble that we had wrapped around ourselves.

"_Mmmmm – ooooohhhhh Jeff mmmmmm that feels good!" _She panted as my tongue slowly circled her navel.

Just the exotic tone in her beautiful tone was enough to drive me straight past desire in to animalistic want. Licking down the centre of her pelvis until my tongue was brushing against the wet lips of her pussy. It still amazed me at how easily I could turn this woman on.

The sweet taste of her flesh was inviting, it was lingering on my taste buds and invading every inch of my brain. And just like that I was hit with a consuming sense that we were going to be together forever – neither of us believed in marriage all that much – Drea especially since she had lost Daniel – and I knew that it didn't matter whether or not we had a piece of paper or a piece of jewellery on each other's fingers – we were both aware of the change in our relationship and we both seemed happy enough and content enough to accept that fate had finally brought us together.

The sweet aromatic essence of her nectar slid down my throat as I continued to tease her – I wanted her to feel everything that I had been wishing to do to her since we had both admitted how we really felt about one another.

My eyes began to run up over the panting body that I was driving out of its mind; she was wriggling on the bed, she was writhing, she was panting and heaving and I loved just watching the effects that I was having on her.

Slowly as my hands pinned her hips to the bed; I allowed the tip of my tongue to slide in to her waiting chamber. The huge almost relieved sigh reached my ears and with a rush that went straight to my head – my cock decided that it was time to wake up. Unable to stop the growl that grew from deep in my lungs until it was bouncing off the walls of the bedroom.

"_Ooooohhhhhh God don't stop there!" _She pleaded with me looking down at me just as the tip of my tongue remained where it was; just the shallowest of penetration that had her hips struggling to push her pussy all over my tongue.

The heat and moist cave was drawing me in – her muscles were constricting to the point where I was fighting every urge to ram so deeply in to her that I could feel my heart ready to burst out of my chest with the rapid beat that it had formed from the thought alone.

"_!" _She begged me.

Who was I to deny her when she looked at me like that?

A long primal growl escaped in to her burning chamber and I could feel the way it seemed to vibrate all the way through her. My tongue pushed in to her until I could feel the quiver from either side clamping down on me fearful that I would pull away from the sensitive flesh.

Not a chance! I thought to myself.

I could feel the way the thin threaded veins were pulsating against my invasion and the way her muscles were fighting to keep me buried as deep as the could and as I watched her eyes close and her head fall back on to the pillow – I knew that if I just pushed against her a little harder I would reach that most sensitive spot deep within her core.

Driving through the clamping muscles until I felt the spark of my tongue resting against that little nub of pleasure and I could see her head snap up as her eyes flipped open with nothing but pure and unadulterated passion shining towards me. As my tongue worked her in to a frenzy; my eyes couldn't stop watching the way she was slowly coming undone. The way her tiny little fingers gripped the sheet around her hands tightly, the way her eyes were fluttering between open and closed and the way her chest was heaving desperately trying to get much needed air in to her deprived lungs.

Satisfied that I was working her up; my tongue began to rub against the small collection of nerves until her back was pushing off the bed and I couldn't keep her pinned any longer.

Slowly her hips picked the rhythm that I was using and thrust towards me in time to meet every stroke that I inflicted on her insides. The tightness of her muscles began almost instantly and I could feel the gentle ripple beginning to rock through her. Keeping my pace slow and calculated; I revelled in the way she was writhing around and mumbling my name as the ripple increased slowly.

"_Mmmmmmmm Jjjjjjjjeeeeeefffffffff!" _She cried out as the release hit her like a tidal wave and a hot stream of her cum flowed in to my mouth in an unforgiving manner.

Sliding my finger in to reached her violently quivering clit and she was shooting up off the bed and panting desperately and her eyes were rolling back in her head as her hot fluid continued to pump in to my mouth and wash away any memories I had of other women.

There was definitely no doubt in my head that this woman was the one. She always had been and always would be. It didn't matter that it had taken us this long to get together – all that mattered was that we were together now.

Working my tongue viciously at her insides until she was collapsing in a sweaty mess on the mattress and breathing heavier than I had ever heard from her. Kissing my way back up her body until she was shivering all over again. Nothing was ever going to be the same between us again and I was more than ok with that.

"I love you Drea," I whispered resting my forehead against hers.

"I love you too baby," She replied smiling at me.

We both knew one another well enough to know that there really was no point in questioning what the other was saying because we knew that the other never said anything that they didn't mean. It was one of the benefits of being friends before we took it to this level – I couldn't have asked for a better friend over the years.

Drea had been there when I had lost my Mom.

Drea had been there when I got my first gig at the WWE.

Drea had been there when I signed my first contract with the WWE.

Drea had been there through my suspensions.

Drea had never questioned me during those times – all she had ever done was show me supportive and understanding. After all I had put my body through over the years – it had been unfair to ask me to chose my career over my health but that was what the WWE had ultimately asked me to do and when I failed their wellness programme they had every right to suspend me.

Drea had been there when I lost everything that I owned in the house fire last year and she had always given me her support – even when I just wanted to be left alone to sink in the self pity that had threatened to grip me – she wouldn't let me give up on myself and she wouldn't let the self pity take over.

Every part of my life had memories of Drea being by my side as my best friend and now she wasn't just my best friend – she was my lover, my girlfriend and more than ever, I knew that she was soul mate.

Nothing could ever come between that and if they tried, I would fight tooth and nail to make sure that they didn't break us.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are reading and taking the time to review - I LOVE you guys to bits. You make writing worthwhile - and if it weren't for you I wouldn't be sharing so thanks again. If you want more, please just let me know :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	27. Chapter 27 Breaking News

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 27 – Breaking News.**_

_**Later That Morning;**_

_**Matt's House;**_

_**Brittany's POV;**_

It had been a quiet night for Matt and I – which I had to admit we had needed more than anything else. Usually we made time for one another once a week; just so that we could be completely alone but lately we had all been trying so hard to ensure that Drea was ok with all that had been happening with her and Jeff that none of us had any free time to just be with one another.

Last night Matt had taken me out to Miller's to have something to eat; we had chatted about things and the times when we had thought that Drea and Jeff were going to get their acts together; but it had never actually happened. Then we talked about what we thought was going to happen with Phoebe – it was inevitable that the girl would make her presence known soon. Matt agreed with me that you couldn't be as obsessed with one person for as long as Phoebe seemed to have been obsessed with Drea and then just get over it in the space of a few weeks.

I had to admit that it seemed to be the general agreement of all our friends that Phoebe was just hiding in the shadows waiting for the perfect time to attack.

I was sure that Drea was aware of this and in all honesty I didn't know how she was even functioning let alone starting a new relationship. I knew that Jeff was being patient – I hadn't really expected anything less of him. Starting a new relationship was always going to be difficult but if anyone could make it I knew that it was Jeff and Drea. It was just the natural progression of the friendship that they had shared up until the point when they got together.

Turning on to my side I looked at my man to find that he was already awake and just watching me. The burn in his eyes told me exactly what he had been thinking.

The shiver snaked down over my body at the thought – I had never known that sex could be so rewarding until I had met Matt – all the guys that I had been with before seemed to be more than inadequate compared to this man lying beside me who slowly rolled on to his back and rested his arm over his eyes.

"You still tired?" I asked running my fingers lightly over his arm.

"Like you wouldn't believe!" He answered his voice soft and I could hear just how tired he was straining through what was one of the sexiest voices that I had ever heard.

"Well – I tell you what; you go back to sleep; I am gonna go have a workout and then a shower, then I will wake you and we can take a wonder down to see Jeff?" I suggested.

"You know you're a God send right?"

"Right back atchya gorgeous," I smiled and placed a light feather kiss to his lips and slowly let myself out of the bed.

After the night that we had last night – I couldn't deny him a long lie; he had really pulled out all the stops. Fresh roses were still lying in the vase that he had bought me, champagne bottles littered the kitchen and that had only been half of the night. I had to admit that being with Matt was like being a spoiled rich girl every day of my life. I had learned the hard way that if I wanted anything at all – it was best to keep my mouth closed; especially if it were something expensive. Matt had no worries about going out and buying me whatever my heart desired, so long as he could afford it.

I had never been treated so well in my whole life – at home things had been so bad that sometimes my Parent's made me feel like I wasn't really there. I had known from an early age that I wasn't what you would call their favourite child. Randy was always the one doing things to make them proud and I was always the after thought.

Most people figured that I would hate my brother for that but he hadn't been the one who should have known better. Randy was always there for me, he always made sure that he looked out for me when our Parent's were only interested in him and what he was going to be doing with his life. I knew that it hurt Randy as bad as it hurt me when they treated him as if he were an Angel sent to make them happy and content in their lives.

I had learned at an early age that I couldn't be what they wanted me to be. I wasn't the girly princess that they had wanted; I was a tomboy and I didn't want to change for anyone.

Thankfully when I had met Matt and he introduced me to Drea and Claire – it was like coming home. They were both as big tomboys as I was and that had instantly made me feel relaxed and calm. I couldn't even begin to imagine my life without them now. They were a huge part of whom I had become and who I had always wanted to be.

Thinking about the mess of the house – I decided that I would get a head start on cleaning instead of doing a work out – hell with the amount of people coming and going from here; cleaning up was more likely to be a more strenuous work out than in the at home gym we had down in the basement. So I moved to the front room where there were mugs lying and empty food packets littered all around. Turning on the stereo and hearing the beginning of the new Kings of Leon album – that Matt loved – I smiled and let it play in the mood for something mellower than the heavier music that I preferred.

My stomach churned when I thought about all that my friend was going to have to face now. Not only had the photos been sent to the WWE; I also had the feeling that maybe somehow it was going to be bigger than that.

As I balanced everything in my arms, I moved in to the kitchen from the front room and made my way to the sink just as Shannon and Claire stumbled in the French doors looking not only grim but somewhat disturbed. I watched as they looked around – clearly looking for Matt too.

"He's still sleeping guys," I said as I began to fill the sink. "What's wrong?"

"We have some news and I really don't think that it's going to go down well,"

"What's happened?" I asked feeling that uneasy feeling tightening in to a painful knot in my stomach as I looked from Shannon to Claire and that was when I saw the paper in Shannon's hands.

"I think that it would be best if you went and woke Matt – I think this is something that you both need to see at the same time,"

I knew in an instant that the matter was grave – Shannon didn't suggest things like this unless the news was bad. I knew that it had something to do with the paper in his hands but as I watched him and Claire exchange looks I had a feeling that it was something that involved every single one of us.

Nodding my head I wiped my hands on the dish cloth and moved towards the bedroom where my man was fast sleep with the covers pulled over his head. I hated waking him when I had told him that he could have a lie in but clearly our friends were freaked out about something and that something involved us, so I knew without a sliver of doubt that Matt would want to hear it.

"Matt baby; I need you to wake up!" I gently began shaking him awake.

_**Matt's POV;**_

Why did it feel like only a few moments had passed since Britt had gotten up?

Poking my head out over the top of the covers and my eyes landed on her true naked beauty. Without make up and hair products in her hair; she looked like a beautiful gift sent from heaven and the more that I looked at her the more I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.

There had never been a woman in my life that had made me feel the way that Brittany could do with just one glance at me. I didn't care about the age difference, and I didn't care what anyone else thought of us. I was in love with her and nothing anyone could say would ever change my mind on that fact.

"Don't tell me it's time to get up already?" I complained pulling the covers back over my head.

It had been a long month or so; we had been ensuring that Drea always had someone with her because none of us wanted to take the chance that something bad might happen on the one time that we left her alone. Usually during the week it was Britt, Claire, Shannon and myself keeping Drea company while Jeff was at work and then when he came home we would have the time off but with the new salon being gutted and fitted – we had all been super busy trying to help our friend get it off and running.

This weekend had been the first that we had, had off in ages and I had wanted to pamper my girl. So here we were lost in the middle of nowhere – at home – with no one around other than my brother and Dad close by, and already that time was being interrupted.

"It's Shannon and Claire – they say they have some bad news to share with us," Brittany informed me.

I could tell from the look in her face that she thought it was something serious and if she thought it was serious then it probably was. Swinging my legs out of the side of the bed, I sat there for a moment; my arms encasing her in a tight embrace where she seemed more than happy to remain for the time being.

Eventually she pulled away and I grabbed my board shorts from the floor where I had left them the previous night and pulled them on before following her out in to the main area of the house and could hear the sound of my Kings of Leon album playing softly in the background.

"Yo kids – what's up?" I asked moving to the kettle where there was already mugs made up ready for the hot water to make them in to coffee.

"We think that you both should read this," Shannon said pointing to the open paper on the island in the centre of my kitchen.

Even from where I was stood I could see a picture of Drea smiling at the camera jumping from the middle pages. I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen – not that I had any idea of what it was but I was still worried about my friend and my brother.

_Drea Stole My Boyfriend!_

The headline screamed of something that Phoebe would do. I hadn't needed to know the girl well to know that she was capable of something like this. I had known that it had been coming but we just hadn't been sure when it was going to happen.

My stomach churned as I moved closer to the paper to see photos of all of us and little snippets of the things that she had said during the interview.

'_They like to pretend that they are this welcoming Family but at the end of the day they are a clique and I never felt like I was welcome!'_

'_Drea was the worst – she is like the ring leader – what she says goes and I know that it was because of her that none of the others ever gave me a chance!'_

'_It's pathetic – they are all reaching their 30's except for Brittany – and they are still acting like they are the be all and end of life!'_

"I want to rip her fucking head off!" Brittany seethed silently from next to me.

"Yep that is about the way we felt after reading it!" Claire said pouring the boiling water in to the mugs for everyone, while I continued to read.

'_I could see the way she was watching Jeff – her jealousy was evident for everyone to see!'_

'_The others were aware of it but for whatever reason they are afraid of upsetting her – maybe it has something to do with the loss of her husband and their first baby – but really that was a long time ago and from the way she was looking at Jeff; she is clearly over it!'_

'_It was exactly like being back in high school again!'_

'_Jeff was making excuses for her behaviour right left and centre – then the breaking point came when Drea literally ripped my shirt off my back in a hotel bar!'_

I could hardly believe that I was reading this and as my eyes scanned over the article – the centre pages article – I could see photos of Jeff and Drea in both my Dad's house and in Jeff's new place too. It made my stomach churn to know that she was still managing to get on to the property and remain unseen.

"_Heaven forbid she actually tells the truth about the shirt incident!" _Britt charged angrily.

Shannon and Claire had been more than right about bringing this to us. We had to find a way to support Jeff and Drea – they didn't need this on top of everything else that they were dealing with right now. A new relationship was hard at the best of times but having to deal with Jeff's psychotic ex girlfriend was going to place unnecessary stress on top of them both.

Wrapping my arms around Brittany I could feel the tremor in her body as it raged through her. I knew that she was angry – when it came to friends and Family; Britt was very much a loyal girl, she would walk in to hell for the people that she loved and cared about. Placing a light kiss to the top of her head in the hope that it would calm her down slightly.

"Have you guys talked to Jeff and Drea today yet?" I asked trying to think of the best way to handle this whole deal.

"Nope – not yet!" Claire admitted moving back to Shannon's side and resting against his comforting build. "We thought that we'd come here first and then maybe we could all head down to Jeff's together?"

"That's a good idea – give Britt and I a few to get showered and dressed and we'll be right with you?" I suggested.

Neither of them complained and moved out to the front room while Brittany kissed me then headed for the bedroom. I stared at the paper for a few more moments before picking up the phone and dialling my brother's number.

"Mmmm what?" Drea answered sleepily.

"Sorry Drea – are you and Jeff up for some visitors?" I asked not wanting to get into it over the phone.

"Matty it's too early for me to be able to answer that -!" Drea complained.

Telling her it was important and that we'd be there in about an hour, I hung up and followed my girl in to the bedroom with my stomach twisted in knots that this was going to get worse before it got better.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	28. Chapter 28 It's Hit!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

**_Chapter 28 __– It's Hit._**

_**Shannon's POV;**_

With my arms wrapped around Claire – it was a huge kick in the face to have read what Phoebe had said about all of us when we had tried really hard to accept her and include her in everything. The thing had been that she just wasn't the type of person that was easy to like – she had been opinionated about things that she clearly knew nothing about, she had been like a leech sucking off Jeff at every given moment – thinking that just because she was with him; that had earned her some right to treat people anyway she felt like and then there was the fact that she had looked down her noses at all of us.

We had never tried to make out that we were anything other than what we were – we treated everyone the same and we didn't try to get things just because we were in the public eye. If there was someone that we could help then we would do it and if there was anything that the others needed; we were there without question.

Placing my lips to Claire's head softly as we listened to Matt talking on the phone to his brother's girlfriend. Clearly she was given him a hard time and when he smiled I knew that he was taking it in good fun – which was obviously the way that it was meant.

Drea had a way about her that just oozed calmness and fun; she had been that way since we had all known her. Even when she had faced all the stuff that her Parent's had put her through and there was also the fact that she had lost Daniel and their baby – no one would have blamed her for losing it for a little while there and she nearly had but as always; she corrected herself and only let Jeff see what losing all that she had, had done to her.

"You ok baby?" Claire asked looking up at me.

"Yeah I'm fine why?"

"You just sort of clammed up there -!"

"I was just thinking about what Drea and Jeff are now going to face,"

I was lucky when it came to my girlfriend – she knew that without any doubt that I could be trusted around other women. I could never even think about cheating on her – let alone actually looking at another woman. When we had met I had explained everything about my friends and she had instantly gotten it. Hell she had embraced it until she had just meshed with my friends until they were her Family too.

Claire was undoubtedly the love of my life – everything about her had seeped through my veins to the point where I was sure that if she were to leave me I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore.

"I know – I can't believe that Phoebe would do something so cruel but there she was – on the paper and clearly unwilling to tell the complete truth!"

That was absolutely the truth – nothing in that article had been the truth and there were a lot of fabrications about the way we had treated her. In all honesty we had tried to make her feel welcome but she had been the one who was willing to turn her nose up at us that we had just ended up not trying with her anymore.

"At least we never had to put up with stuff like that when we got together," I admitted.

I felt selfish standing here and thanking the God that we hadn't faced that many obstacles when we got it together. Claire had been single, she hadn't been in the process of getting together with anyone and there had been no one who had seen her inner beauty shining through the way she had looked at the time.

Looking down in to her ocean blue eyes to see that there was no way that you would be able to tell – other than in the eyes – that she was the same girl that I had met in the bowling alley. To look at her now she was a far cry from the little timid girl that I had met. Everything about her had captivated me back then but now that captivation just felt like a strong thread flowing through us all the time. There was absolutely no doubt in my head that she was going to be the one woman that I spent the rest of my life with.

"This is true – you do think they'll make it though right?" Claire asked resting her head against my chest and as my arms encircled her tiny frame – I couldn't believe just how huge she made me feel.

I had always felt like a giant compared to her tiny size but when we were close like this I was always worried that I would somehow break what looked to be a fragile little frame. When in all honesty; she was tougher than most women I knew – she had, had to be considering the way she had been brought up and all that she had faced at the hands of her peers.

In my eyes it was a true strength of character when she had told me about all that they had done to her and the way she had took everything they dished out and hadn't let it break her. A lot of kids in her position would have broken long before she had even thought about breaking.

"I have absolutely no doubt that they will make it – they were made for one another!" I admitted resting my head down on top of her own while we waited for Britt and Matt to be ready.

There was no denying that Jeff and Drea were it for one another – even if it had taken them this long to realize it and do something about it. I just hoped that Phoebe's interference wasn't about to cause more trouble than it was worth.

It had been a hard year for Drea and she deserved the right to be happy and carefree for a little while. We had all been worried about her to the point where we thought that she might cave under the pressure and seeing Jeff with Phoebe hadn't helped in the slightest. Glancing over the pictures of Drea and Jeff that had been used in the article – some of them clearly came from outside the Legend's house and Jeff's house, then there were photos from private times – that none of us had even thought that Phoebe would have been able to get her hands on.

Claire glanced up as Matt walked in to the room looking harassed to the point where his face was flushed but at least he was dressed and seemingly ready to go.

"What's up big bear?" Claire asked watching him move around as if he were a trapped animal.

"I interrupted something -!" He said broadcasting the way the shiver snaked through him.

"Awe – eeeewwwwweeeeee!" Claire giggled finally getting his meaning as he turned and stared at her. "But good for them – it's taken them long enough!"

I couldn't argue with that – they had gotten together a month ago but at Drea's request; things had been going very slowly; she had been scared of jumping straight into something. I could understand where she was coming from in a way – she had been married to Daniel and she had made vows that she would be with him forever and then he had been taken from her and that had stung her so bad that at one point; it was like looking at a stranger in front of us.

In her mind – she had thought that she was somehow being unfaithful to her dead husband. I had to admit that Jeff had been way more patient than I had ever given him credit for. Usually he was the one who jumped in to things head first and never knew how to actually wait for something.

"I couldn't agree with you more but damn it I didn't need to be talking to Drea when she was doing _'that'!" _Matt sulked as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself some water.

For the next 20 minutes we were talking about Jeff and Drea until Brittany was finally ready to go. We had all been through so much together that it wasn't out of the ordinary that we were sharing this with Jeff and Drea. We were Family and when someone attacks someone in your Family – you came out swinging.

_**2 Hours Later;**_

_**Claire's POV;**_

The minute that we had walked in to Jeff's house – it had been clear what had gone on here the previous night. There were rose petals littering the stairs, blown out candles were on the stairs that led to the second floor and the flush on Drea's face was shining brightly like a beacon in the dead of night.

Once Britt and I had greeted Jeff – Drea grabbed both of us and literally dragged us up the stairs and in to the room where it was clear all the passion had erupted between her and Jeff.

Britt and I listened as she talked about what had happened and how much it had been different but better than anything that she had ever thought was possible. I had never seen her this happy, this relaxed or glowing this much. It was good that she and Jeff had finally got their acts together – it had been so painful to just back and watch them circle one another all this time. After everything that Drea had done to help me when I had first come in to the group – I owed her nothing less than my friendship and if I had to; I would have ended up risking her wrath by locking the 2 of them in a room together until they resolved it.

Thankfully I hadn't had to do that – they had finally talked and gotten everything out of the way.

"So you just took charge?" Brittany asked taking the cigarette that was being offered and lit up.

"I did – it was like after seeing that lady yesterday; Daniel had given me the ultimate gift by telling me that he was ok about Jeff and I!" Drea replied smiling in a dreamy way. "I just couldn't relax with Jeff properly without knowing if Daniel was ok with it or not you know?"

"We can understand that honey – you and Daniel had something very special and your belief in marriage is one that no one could ever fault you for,"

It didn't a brain surgeon to figure out what had been going through Drea's head. Daniel had been one of a kind – I definitely didn't know many men who would have married someone knowing that the other person was in love with someone else and not only that – then let his wife still be as close to the guy as Jeff and Drea were.

"Jeff was – he is – I can't even describe what I am feeling right now other than it feels like I am floating on a cloud -!" She replied and then quickly added. "Maybe I am getting in over my head right now?"

"No you're not! Drea it is the only possible direction that you 2 could have gone in. You and Jeff are meant to be – your reaction is perfectly normal!" I insisted reaching for her hand.

Who would have ever thought that I would be the one giving her advice?

The tables had definitely turned for the better. When we had first met – I was the shy and timid girl who didn't know anything about the real world. Thanks to my Parent's; I didn't have a clue what the real world was like – there had been so many times that I had wished to have just one experience to myself that they couldn't belittle and make me feel ashamed for and that was when I had met Shannon.

Maybe there was a God after all – because there was no doubt that my man was my saviour. Like a knight in shining armour he had came galloping in to my life at a hundred miles per hour and changed everything. All that I had thought was right and real had been turned upside down because of him and now looking back on it – I wouldn't want it any other way.

Without the doubts or questions of wondering whether it was right – I knew that all 3 of us in this room now was where we were definitely meant to be.

"Drea?" I said softly as she just nodded her head in agreement to what I had said moments before.

"Yeah?"

"There is something that we need to tell you -!" I looked to Brittany for her support and she nodded her head while taking Drea's other free hand; leaving our friend to smoke her cigarette without removing it from her mouth.

"What is it?" Instantly Drea looked panicked.

"Phoebe went to the local paper!" Brittany told her.

It was definitely better to blurt it out like ripping off a band aid rather than taking time to try and get it right. Drea appreciated the blunt approach anyway.

".what?" Drea asked slowly and trying to keep her breath level.

"Sorry honey – but she went to the paper and said that you stole her boyfriend!" I informed her.

Without saying another word, Drea jumped up from the bed with her cigarette still hanging in her mouth and headed out of the room and down to the bottom floor where we could hear that guys talking about Phoebe and what we were all going to do.

Storming in to the front room, Drea wasn't stopping as she realized that they must be at the back of the house in the kitchen and continued to charge a path of anger in that direction.

"Tell me she didn't!?" She demanded of Jeff who was looking at the paper on the island in the middle of the room.

"I can't!" He replied placing his mug of coffee on the counter and moving to her where he wrapped her up in to his embrace and gently placed a kiss to the top of her head. "But we know that it is all bullshit – and -!"

"And what? People are going to hate us!" Drea exclaimed.

"What do we care? I am leaving the WWE for a little while anyway and the real fans know that we wouldn't act that way – that isn't who we are. Phoebe has just taken things and twisted them to her own twisted advantage!"

I had seen Jeff being supportive before but this was more than that – this was about comforting and supporting and being there for Drea in ways that he had thought that he would never get to experience. It was a pity that it had to be over something like this but there it was and there wasn't much else that could be done about it.

We all had to draw close and make sure that we didn't let this psycho get to us. We were all aware of the fact that Phoebe was in some form obsessed with Drea and that was what we had to concentrate on – we couldn't let stupid fabricated stories like this one split us because at the end of the day we all knew that was what Phoebe wanted more than anything else.

The 6 of us moved to the front room and sat down where we continued to talk about how we were going to handle the situation with Phoebe and how we were going to deal with the media that had now been brought in to the picture. Clearly things were about to get out of control but at the end of the day – we knew that sticking together would get us through absolutely anything and that was what we needed to do.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	29. Chapter 29 Can't Sleep!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 29 – Can't Sleep.**_

_**2 Days Later;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

It was definitely getting harder and harder to say no to Jeff – he had wanted me to move straight back in with him but we definitely weren't ready for that yet. We had only just started dating – it would take time and it was time that I was preparing to take because I knew that it would work out perfectly in the end.

While he was away for the PPV this weekend, I was house sitting until tomorrow when I flew out to be with him for his big win. We knew that it was coming but Jeff refused to tell us how he was going to win. I was excited for him – mainly because the WWE were giving him the title before he left for a while.

Lying on the sofa it was early morning as in just past 4am and Lizzie was curled up next to me with her gorgeous little head lying on my lap.

"You know your Dad would have a fit if he was here right now," I giggled looking around the front room.

I had gone for some retail therapy today – cloths were lying around the room from when I had tried them on, CD's littered the floor and I placed my new True Blood book down on the table so that I could pick some music to listen too.

I had missed Jeff before but this time it felt like something else – I hadn't missed him this much before and that scared me somewhat. It was like I didn't know who I was anymore – I was being completely consumed by him. Then again Leanne had told me that it would be a love that I had never known before. When I had listened to her reading my fortune, I hadn't thought about all that she had said about Jeff and I – because I was so focused on hearing from Daniel and getting his blessing. That had been the most important thing to me.

I couldn't have carried on with Jeff if Daniel hadn't been happy about it. No matter how much I wanted too – if Daniel hadn't been happy then it would have felt too much like betraying him and I never wanted to do that.

The strong guitar strums from the new Shinedown album started to fill the room and I could feel myself relaxing. I had always been a Shinedown fan and it had been who introduced them to Jeff and Matt. I had been meaning to get their newest album for a while but hadn't actually gotten around to it until today. As I lay back on the sofa, Lizzie jumped up on to my stomach and shuffled around until she was comfortable and lay down.

'_If you only knew I'm hanging by a thread, the web I spin for you, If you only knew that I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I lose you, I still hold on to the letters you returned, I swear I lived and learned, It's 4.03 and I can't sleep without you next to me, I toss and turn like the sea, If I drown tonight bring me back to life, Breathe your breath in to me,'_

I really don't know why but somehow it truly felt like this song was reflecting the passion and the connection between Jeff and me. We had been through hell to get to this point and now that we were here; we had to wait another 3 weeks before we had the chance to spend some real quality time together.

'_The only thing I still believe in is you, If you only knew, If you only knew how many times I've counted, all the words that went wrong, If you only knew how I refuse to let you go, even when you're gone, I don't regret any days I spent, Nights we shared or letters I sent,'_

Jeff – my Jeff; it was still a shock that I couldn't even begin to believe was true – I had wanted him for so long that I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to get him and now that I had him – I felt like I needed to constantly pinch myself or tell myself to wake up from the dream now.

It had to be a dream – I couldn't let myself continue otherwise I would remain in this dream for the rest of my life – I didn't want to leave him, I didn't want to lose this closeness that we were sharing. Just when I thought we had shared everything there was to share – we were here in this moment and discovering new things about one another.

'_It's 4.03 and I can't sleep without you next to me, I toss and turn like the sea, If I drown tonight bring me back to life, breathe your breath in to me,'_

Just at that moment my cell phone started ringing and when I picked it up to see Jeff's name flashing I smiled and accepted the call happily.

"Your ears must have been burning," I said in to the receiver.

"Trust me beautiful it ain't my ears that are burning," He growled softly in to my ear and I could feel that very same effect that always seemed to happen when he let his voice take on that tone.

"Awe is someone feeling horny?" I giggled reaching for the stereo remote and turning the music down so I could hear him a little better.

"Horny is most definitely not the word for what I am right now – and please don't turn that down; I like the sound of it -!"

"You should since it's the new Shinedown album,"

"Let me listen!" He beamed happily so I held the phone out while the rest of the song played out.

'_The only thing I still believe in is you, If you only knew, if you will only know, I still hold onto the letters you returned, You helped me live and learn, It's 4.03 and I can't sleep without you next to me, I toss and turn like the sea, If I drown tonight bring me back to life, breathe your breath in to me, The only thing I still believe in is you, believe in is you, I still believe in you, oh if you only knew.'_

There was no denying that, that was exactly how I felt – being away from Jeff was like drowning in a sea of loneliness. I had gotten so used to him sleeping beside me that without him there; it just didn't feel right.

"I love that song – what's it called?"

"If you only knew," I replied looking at the back of the CD case.

"It's very appropriate for the way I am feeling right now," He growled low in his throat and even though he was hundreds of miles away – I could feel my body react to him. "But I am phoning for a reason other than missing you like damn crazy,"

"Awe I'm missing you too baby," I couldn't feel happier than I did right in this moment and I had absolutely no idea that my world was just about to be shattered in to a million little pieces.

With Jeff being on the road – I felt like half of myself was gone. At first it had scared the hell outta me to know that I felt so connected to him that it felt like the missing part of me had finally clicked in place.

_**Missouri;**_

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Every time I thought about her home alone – with only Lizzie for company; I felt like a stabbing sensation in my gut. After the day that I had just had, I knew that things were much worse than I had even thought they were. At least if I were there – I would be able to hold her close and know that she was fine.

"You've gone awfully quiet – what's wrong?" Drea asked me her voice soft and concerned.

"Drea something has happened that I need to tell you -!"

"What do you mean something has happened? Are you ok?" I could instantly hear the panic in her voice and I could have slapped myself at causing her to worry like that – I should have known that something like that would have gotten her instantly worried.

"I'm fine baby. I just want you to listen to me very carefully -!"

"Ok! I'm listening,"

"I want you to go to the bedroom really quickly and throw some cloths in to a bag and I want you to grab Lizzie and go up to Matt's house to stay until I get home,"

"What? Why?" She asked me.

"There is something on the internet that – Drea I don't want you to freak out – I have been mobbed today because of -!"

"Jeff what's wrong?"

How was I meant to do this?

I knew that I was meant to tell her – there was no way that I couldn't tell her. I was worried that she was going to feel violated; it wouldn't be like she didn't have the right. We had both been violated in ways that I hadn't ever thought were possible.

For the whole day, I had been asked questions about it, I had been completely taken by surprise to begin with but after I had actually seen it – I felt like it was much worse than what I had been led to believe. Not that we were doing anything wrong – but I had so many younger fans that I had to think about and it wasn't like I was in control of what had happened; if I had been in control; then it would never have been put up for all the world to see it.

"The thing is – I don't know how, I don't understand how it's possible but – I was – today I was in interviews and I was being asked about me and you -!"

"Meaning?"

"They wanted to know about our sex life -!"

"What that's sick!"

Drea wasn't what anyone would call shy in bed – she was very open and experimental when it came to trying new things. Being with her was as consuming as I had thought it would be. I didn't want to fight how I felt about her – after the first time we had sex; it was like a need that matched that of my lungs needing air to keep me alive.

"I know baby but there was a reason why they were asking -!"

"You've lost me baby; I don't understand what you are talking about!"

"Drea someone has a video of us having sex!"

"_WHAT? Oh my God – are you serious?" _

I should have known that she would freak out. It wasn't that she was ashamed of what we had either; Drea was a very sensual being; she liked to express how she felt by throw her actions and moves.

What was hard to accept; was that we clearly hadn't been alone like we had believed we were.

Getting up from the bed, I moved to the window to look out over the City of Missouri. The cars on the street below hustled about their business; reminding me of ants hurrying in opposite directions. The City was ablaze with the lights from buildings and homes and cars and other automobiles on the road.

Standing here looking out over all that was going on below was making me feel worse and worse. I had never felt so completely useless or freaked out. I knew that Phoebe was behind it but however, I had absolutely no proof of that.

"I am so sorry baby!"

"How? I don't understand – we were alone,"

"I know baby girl, I know! I have no idea how but until I get home, I don't want you in that house!"

"But we're leaving in the morning to come join you -!"

"It doesn't matter Drea; it can clearly only take one night for things to get out of hand. I already called Matt and he and Britt are expecting you as soon as you can,"

"Ok!"

Thank God she wasn't putting up much of a protest; Drea could most definitely be full of pride and stubbornness when she felt the need but I had to be grateful for the fact that she seemed to understand how much I wanted her to be with someone I knew could look out for her when needed.

"Thank you,"

"No worries!"

"I want to get home and go through that whole place with a fine tooth comb,"

"Do you think that she has a video in here? Or do you think that maybe she was hiding somewhere?"

"It's hard to tell because there are so many different angles to it -!"

"You've watched it?" She asked me and I could hear her moving through the house.

"I had too babe – I needed to know what I was asking YouTube to pull from their site. Birds eye views, side views, head views and views from the bottom of the bed – the thing is that they are all very steady handed; there is no sign of the usual shaky hands,"

"Ok don't laugh but do we at least look good?" She asked me.

That was my girl – she always tried to find the positive side in everything, there was no way that she couldn't act like this wasn't who she was. It was one of the reasons that I loved her so much.

"We look fucking great baby," I growled softly through my own chuckles. "Makes me wish that I were home right now!"

"You're just trying to tease me ain'tchya?" She purred softly.

"Nope I am dead serious – I am desperately wishing you were here right now,"

"How desperately?" She purred once again.

I couldn't stop the smile from coming to my face. There was no way that I had expected her to take this any other way; I had known that she would be horrified at first but I also knew that eventually she would have found the funny side to it.

"You really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise handsome,"

"Well let's say that my hand is on my cock because I am rock fucking hard!"

"Mmmmm well maybe there is something that we should do about that,"

Well that was it – I had the love of a woman who was more amazing than I had ever noticed before. I had always thought that she was amazing but right in this moment – hearing the way she didn't much care either way about what had happened today – she just took it all in her stride; in the only way she knew how to.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	30. Chapter 30 This is getting out of hand

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 30 – This is getting out of control.**_

_**2 Hours Later; Matt's House;**_

_**Matt's POV;**_

I couldn't believe that they were all gawping at the screen as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Personally it wasn't something that I could watch comfortably – it was an invasion of privacy – it was sick and twisted – it was my brother and the girl I looked at as a sister. Drea although she wasn't a little sister to Jeff; she was definitely a little sister to me and I couldn't even begin to imagine her the way that video had captured her.

"You guys are sick!" I muttered under my breath as Shannon, Claire, Brittany and Drea huddled around the computer screen.

Jeff had called me and told me what was going on – he said that he wanted Drea to stay with me and Britt because he figured that someone had managed to install cameras in his house. And I'd give him a million bucks to guess who.

"Hey at least I don't look all that bad!" Drea commented.

This was a far cry from the way she had been when she first got here – I had always known that she had a mouth on her but there were words coming from her mouth that would have made Sailors cringe. We had watched her pacing and ranting, it had made all of us exhausted to watch her. But there was no way that we could blame her for what she needed to get off her chest.

I didn't know if my brother had mentioned Vince to Drea on the phone but he had definitely said to me that Vince was now more than ever interested in doing a piece for the WWE magazine with Drea and him – he wanted to get a positive spin on it as soon as possible; to show the fans and kids that they were indeed in a loving and committed relationship.

"Come and look Mattitude!" Drea enquired.

"Not a chance – as far as I am concerned you don't have – bits!" I stated stubbornly.

"That's just stupid!" Britt turned to look at me.

"I don't care! It works for me ok?" I sulked causing my girl to roll her eyes and turn back to the screen.

"Awe come on Matty – you can't even see anything; I have to say the camera really does you wonders girl -!" Claire nudged Drea playfully. "Oooohhhhh there he goes!"

Shannon instantly jumped away from the screen and sat down next to me. Now I was wondering what was happening on the screen. I was too proud and stubborn to ask so I looked at Shannon with a questioning look on my face before nodding to the kitchen and he agreed instantly leaving the girl to talk and watch the video.

"What was that?"

"Oral!" Shannon shivered at just the memory of the tiny part that he had seen. "She's right though – she does look good!"

It wasn't that hard to believe – she was a good looking woman. She just wasn't my type but for Jeff she was perfect – she was as unique and – sometimes – as weird as he was. They shared so many similarities that it was almost like they were the same person only split in to 2 bodies.

If I knew Vince he would be trying everything in his power to get that video removed from youtube. I had seen him do the same with just wrestling matches but if it was something that could reflect badly on his business then he would pull out all the stops to do damage control.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?" Shannon asked as I handed him a bottle of beer.

"What? That Vince is probably working over time to get that video removed?"

"Absolutely!" He nodded his head as he leant back against the counter and gulped long and hard at the bottle in his hands.

"Damn it!" The sound of Drea cursing reached us and we raced back in to the front room where the computers were situated to find her fumbling around with the screen.

"What's wrong?" Shannon asked almost skidding to a stop.

"I tried rooting the uploader back to a IP address but nothing – its like whoever did it has wired it through so many loop holes that there is absolutely no way to trace it," Drea informed us. "I think it's a safe bet that it was Phoebe – I just kind of hoped that maybe it would have been some proof you know?"

It wasn't difficult to see the stress that Phoebe was causing my brother and – my – sister. It was hard enough starting a new relationship and sometimes the transition from best friends to lovers was a hard one – Phoebe most certainly wasn't making things easy for either of them.

Drea looked tired – she was sporting heavy and dark bags under her eyes. Her posture was tense all the time and she appeared to be on edge; it didn't matter where she was because she believed that she was being followed everywhere that she went. The effects of her not eating were beginning to show on her face; her cheeks were sunken, her flesh almost grey with lack of nutrients and her hair lay lifeless around her shoulders. This most definitely wasn't the Drea that we had known – she had always been so full of life and carefree and as I watched Lizzie saunter up to her and cuddle in to her – I could see that my little sister was barely holding on.

Jeff wasn't in much better shape – I knew that it was hard for him to think that a woman was after the girl he loved and I knew that if it had been a guy; then Jeff would have known exactly what to do but with a woman he was at a loss.

"It just feels so hopeless – like every where I turn; I know she's been there but I can't get away from her, I can't hide from her where I thought that I was at my safest!" Drea exclaimed and it was at that point I saw the tears shining in her eyes. "I am so tired – I just don't have the energy to fight this anymore!"

I watched the girls hug her tightly and I could see just how tired she was by watching them. Drea clung to them tightly and I knew that it was hard for her but I knew for a fact that no one had been in this house and no one had planted any cameras; at least here she could let her hair down and get some much needed rest.

Moving towards her without saying a word; I scooped her up in to my arms and made my way to the stairs; Lizzie glanced up lazily from her lap where she was happily resting and gave me what could only be described as a sigh of relief before putting her head back down.

"Matt you don't have -!"

"I promised Jeff that I would look after you," I told her adamantly.

Jeff was my brother and I would do anything for my Family; Drea was like my little sister and seeing her so upset and withdrawn; I knew that I needed to step up and act like the oldest sibling and make sure that they were both alright. Phoebe was going to have a fight on her hands if she thought that she was going to continue getting away with this.

I had stood back long enough and let this carry on but no more. It was time that I took matters in to my own hands and think about what I could do to help my Family.

Gently resting Drea down on to the double bed in the middle of one of the spare rooms; it was completely isolated for her; there was no where for anyone to sneak looks in the window and there was no way that anyone could get in the window. Now was the time for her to get a good sleep before we had to fly in to Missouri tomorrow. The more alert and calm she was – the better she would be able to deal with whatever Vince was concocting in his mind. Placing a light kiss to her forehead, I urged her to sleep and slowly let myself out of the room; leaving the door open wide enough that we would be able to hear her downstairs if she needed us.

_**An Hour Later;**_

_**Brittany's POV;**_

It wasn't difficult to see the pressure that Drea was feeling with everything to do with Phoebe. It truly seemed that there was no where for her to get peace. We had tried getting both her and Jeff to stay with us while he was home – but they had been so insistent on having their own personal, private space that this was now the outcome of that. No one could blame them for that – they were still a relatively new couple; which of course meant that they were still in the honeymoon period.

That was never more clear than in the video that had just been posted on the internet. I hated to think about what Drea and Jeff were going to face just because their private lives had been invaded and broadcast for everyone to see.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" I asked looking at my friends.

"I have no idea – I don't think Vince is gonna let either of them off lightly," Matt admitted.

If anyone would know how unforgiving Vince was – it was Matt. After all he had been through in the past with the business he had first had experience of what could happen when bad publicity surrounded you.

"I can't believe that this has happened now – I mean Jeff will be leaving soon and whoever did this couldn't have waited until then?" Shannon voiced his opinion.

Resting in to the arms of Matt, I took all the comfort from him – glad that I didn't have to worry about all that my friends were facing. I always felt so completely shielded from the world and protected more than I had ever been in the past.

I had never believed that there was anything like this in the world waiting for me. I had watched for years as my Parent's favoured my brother, I had listened as they talked about me as if I were an after thought and I had hidden in shadows while they drew all the attention to Randy. It surprised me to realize that I knew deep down that it wasn't Randy's fault. For all his faults – as any typical brother – he had always made sure that I knew he cared and loved me. Most people wouldn't be able to believe that about him – considering the way he was on TV.

"Phoebe is one sick bitch!" Claire spat disgusted. "But the thing is – she has only gone and made it worse for herself. If they ever find out or get evidence to support their belief then she is in for it!"

"Tell me about it!"

Jeff was extremely protective of Drea – it wasn't hard to see when he looked at her with those eyes full of adoration and the more that Phoebe tried to make waves – the tighter she pushed Jeff and Drea together. I had been able to hear the fear and the anguish in Jeff's voice when he had called Matt earlier.

"God do you think she's out there right now?" I asked looking to the window; watching the way the darkness eclipsed the house, the way it creeped around the walls trying to find a way inside.

Was Phoebe out there?

Was she watching the house right now?

My blood ran ice cold through my veins as I snuggled further in to Matt's embrace. At least with him, by his side, I knew that I was safe and that nothing would ever get past him to hurt me. He wouldn't allow it. Matt would lay his life down for me in a split second to protect me. It was who he was. It was what had made me fall in love with him in the first place.

"Even if she is – we're locked down for the night baby; there's no way she can get in!" Matt reminded me.

Shannon and Claire were staying here the night so that our early morning didn't have to be as early as it would have been had we to pick them up from their place before getting to the airport. I was thankful for that in many ways but the most was because I knew that come the time to lie in bed and try to get some sleep; it just wasn't going to happen.

I couldn't believe that I was actually afraid of Phoebe.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Phoebe was evidently unhinged – she had clearly stepped over the line and that meant that she was making Drea and Jeff's lives hell. Now there intimate business was broadcast on the world wide internet. Not just a small amount of people could see it – everyone around the world with a computer could see it and I didn't know how Drea was going to deal with that.

Sure she had been trying to look strong when she was watching it; she didn't want any of us to see just how frightened she had been but she knew that we were all here for her, that we were going to be here for her and for Jeff.

"I know you're right!" I admitted honestly. "I know that I shouldn't be afraid of her but there is something seriously off about that girl,"

"You don't have to tell me!" Claire agreed from where she seemed to be snuggled as deeply in to Shannon's embrace.

At least I knew that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I wasn't the only one who felt scared at every little sound. I knew that I was over reacting but at the same time, I couldn't stop myself. None of us knew who Phoebe really was or what she was really capable of. All we really knew was that she had been making Drea's life a misery pretty much from the minute they had met in school more than 15 years ago.

Clearly what Phoebe didn't realize was that come hell or high water; Drea had people who would stand in the middle of her getting to the object that she really wanted and as far as Jeff came; there was absolutely no way that she was going to break them up.

As friends they were tight but as lovers they were stronger than even they had been able to predict happening.

Matt, Shannon, Claire and myself sat talking for a little while longer and when we were satisfied that there was nothing else coming our way tonight, we shut everything off and headed towards bed to catch some sleep before we had to head to the airport. Where we would be taken to where we had to face Vince McMahon and what he thought was damage control.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	31. Chapter 31 What do we do?

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 31 – What do we do?**_

_**An hour later;**_

_**Shannon's POV;**_

Collapsing in a heap on the warm mattress next to my wife; I couldn't believe that we were as connected as we were – even after being married for as long as we had been. Everything between us just seemed to get better and better as time went by; we came together closer and closer, we felt the chemistry between us bubbling to the point where I was constantly lost in the haze of wanting her and there was no one on this planet that could come in between us and what we shared.

Staring at her with a warm glow in my eyes only to see the same way her look reflected my own. It still amazed me to see just how different she looked from the way she looked when I had first met her. I knew that I was the luckiest man on the planet – we had come a long way from since we had met.

"I love you!" I told her allowing my fingers to roam over her body.

"I love you too boo," the soft sound of her beautiful voice pierced through my body and left me shivering.

When I thought about the way her Parent's had hid her from the world and pushed her down until she believed that she was worthless. For weeks I had watched the way she was in the world, her face hung with her hair hiding her pretty features, her movements were those of a woman who was completely unsure of her place in the world.

When we first got together – it had been hard work because it was like watching Bambi taking her first steps. There was so much that Claire had to find out about herself.

Favourite foods.

Favourite music.

Favourite books.

Favourite movies.

There was also the way she had to educate herself on world matters; she had to learn how to make her own opinions on the things that went on around her. For so long she had, had to agree with what her Parent's force fed her. Everything that had made the Claire, before I knew her, had to be rebooted so that she could be completely happy with whom she was and the life that she led.

None of my friends forced her to agree with what they liked or believed but because she had been hanging out with Drea the most when she wasn't with me, she had learned that she enjoyed a lot of the same music as Drea did.

"I'm glad that you decided to give me a chance," I told her kissing the tip of her nose softly.

"It was kind of hard to say no when you kept giving me those big puppy dog eyes," she laughed turning on to her back and staring at the roof.

"Ahh the power of the eyes will get you every time," I chuckled.

What the weirdest thing was knowing that I was her first everything. I was her first boyfriend, I was her first kiss, I was her first sexual partner and I was the first person whoever really noticed that there was more under all the outside stuff.

"You know I am seeing all that Drea and Jeff are going through – I see how difficult it must be for them and I feel so bad -!" she stated before covering her face with her arm.

Reaching up and gently removing her arm to see her beautiful blue eyes shining up at me with tears.

"Why do you feel so bad?"

"Because I just find myself thinking that I am so glad that we didn't have to go through all of that. I mean what kind of friend does that make me?"

"Awe baby – it doesn't mean that you are a bad person. It is only human nature to be glad that you don't have to face things like they are facing,"

I would be lying if I were to say that I hadn't thought the same thing. I could see the strain that it was placing on my friends new relationship – I had to believe that because they were so close as friends; that was going to be what would get them through this. I had no doubt that Phoebe was going to come up looking like the fool by the time this all came to a head.

"I bet Drea never thought that when she met me though -!"

"I can promise you that she probably did – considering the life she had with her own Parent's; she was lucky because she got away quickly. Drea had the Hardy's to go too; she moved in with her best friend and was treated like a huge part of their Family. You didn't have that – you didn't have the luxury of having friends to turn too because your Parent's managed to isolate you from other people just to keep their own control over you – I can promise you that Drea felt one of the lucky ones when it comes to you," I told her honestly.

I knew that Drea had felt that way – I had always been close to Drea. Ever since we were younger; it was like we were brother and sister. I was extremely protective of her and it was mainly because of what she had gone through with her Parent's. Even when I was younger – I had always had the sense of who I was and I knew how important it was to find the person that you were meant to be.

My own Mother had always pressed the fact that she didn't want to reign down her own opinions on me, she never tried to tell me who she thought I was supposed to be and no matter how many times I messed up; she was there with advice and support. Not to say that she hadn't punished me for the more stupid things that I had done because my Mom was extremely stern but she knew the importance of a child needing to pave their own paths in life.

"You really think so?" asked Claire turning to look at me.

"I know so baby! You forget how long and how well I know Drea,"

"I do forget that sometimes," she replied. "I just feel so bad listening to her talking about what she is going through and how it is affecting her and thinking myself that I am glad that you and I haven't been through it -!"

"I can also promise you that Matt and Brittany are probably feeling the same way – I am feeling that way. I see the stress that its pressing on Jeff and Drea and I can't help but wonder what it is that is keeping them from breaking,"

"And do you have any idea at all?"

"I think that it's because they have been so close as friends over the past years that getting together hasn't been the hard transition that they had thought it would be – I mean I don't think that its just me; but I can see how much they have gained just by giving into the love that is between them,"

For so long we had worried that they would never give in to what was between them, we thought that they were destined to go through life getting involved with the wrong people that we thought for sure that it just wasn't going to happen and then we had been more than surprised to see them together a month ago holding hands and kissing. It was like we had all won the lottery.

Most people couldn't understand our reactions to it – they couldn't comprehend why we were as happy as the couple were; but we were all just over the moon that they had finally got their acts together. It was because we had wanted it for them for so long.

_**Claire's POV;**_

For weeks I had felt so bad that I had been glad that it wasn't me and Shannon facing all that our friends were facing and that made me feel bad. I couldn't stop thinking about how bad a friend I am – I shouldn't be thinking about anything other than how to help them. I did however, feel a little better to hear that Shannon had been thinking the exact same thing that I had.

After all we had been through to get to this point – I guessed that I had every right to feel a little selfish. If it hadn't been for Drea; I don't know how I would have gotten through it.

Everyone had been so patient with me while I had learned through trial and error about the things that I liked and the opinions I finally found. For so long I had been nothing more than just a girl who was told what to think, what to like and what not to like. My Parent's had made me believe that all the things that teenagers liked were a sin.

Drea had put it into perfect sense for me when I had explained all about my Parent's; she told me to watch her favourite comedian Billy Connolly and said that he had it absolutely right – people who are so obsessed about religion needed to have another book – she said that you should never trust someone who only has one book. It really was the perfect way to look at it.

In all honesty – when Shannon had insisted that I move out of their house; I had thought that I would be lost without them and that I would miss them terribly. But I really didn't feel anything at all like that – I could have cared less about seeing them and I found that I didn't have to completely turn my back on God for the things that I wanted to do.

The way I saw it was that people needed variety in their lives – they couldn't survive on just the same thing all the time. Shannon and Drea had taught me that early and I had clung to it tightly until I really and truly did believe it.

"So do you think this is all gonna get worse before it gets better?" I asked turning to face my man.

"I think that it's a strong possibility to be honest. I mean even to us we can see that Phoebe is strongly disturbed – and with that kind of disturbance; I think there is a huge chance that Drea and Jeff are gonna have to face a hell of a lot more than they realize,"

"I just dread to think what she has in mind for them,"

"You and me both sugar," He replied leaning in and placing a tender kiss to my forehead.

I loved the fact that he could be this soft and tender when most people saw him as the character that Shannon Moore was most well known for. For the Hardy Show – Shannon was the one who was always joking, he was always in the mood for doing something energetic and he was always the one who was up for trying absolutely anything. It really wasn't hard to see that most people thought that he was like that all the time – but the truth of the matter was he was nothing like that when it was just the 2 of us.

"She's really capable of anything isn't she?"

"Absolutely!" He nodded and I could see the worry that he had for his friends shining in his face.

"Do you think it's a front with Drea?"

"What?"

"The way she was so good about the video on the internet and stuff?" I asked.

Had it been me and Shannon out there for the world to see – I would have been throwing a fit. Drea had been calm and controlled; she had been laughing about it and commenting on how at least whoever, although we all knew it was Phoebe, had posted it had made her look good and gotten her good side.

"I think it was absolutely without a doubt a front – I mean in all honesty; I know that Drea is in no way a prude; but even that would push the boundaries of a healthy mind," Shannon announced honestly.

It was true – Drea had been around the boys long enough to be open minded and honest about how she felt sexually and who she was. There was no room to be prudish when you were around the guys; because they sure as hell wouldn't let you forget it in anyway.

But that video had been a breach on her privacy – it was an invasion of something that she and Jeff thought was private and now that had been broadcast for the whole world to see.

"Will she be ok?"

"She'll be fine. Not only does she have all of us but she is strong – there isn't much that will bring Drea down. Sure there may be times when she looks like she is gonna break but for the most part; she is more strong willed and more confident than people give her credit for,"

There was no doubt in my mind that Drea was indeed that way – it would be an extremely ignorant person to think that she would break over something like a little video and some nasty words. Phoebe clearly didn't know who she was dealing with – if she thought that she was going to get a rise out of Drea; then she would be waiting for a long time. The thing with Drea was that she would hide how much it was getting to her but then when she was alone with Jeff she would show her real feelings and fears but if there was cameras in their home then they were going to have to find a way to be alone some other way.

The most important thing was that of course – Matt and Britt would open their homes to Jeff and Drea and there was mine and Shannon's house too. If it meant that they could get some of their privacy back then of course we would open our home to them.

"I just dread to think what is next!" I said absentmindedly.

We were all living on a knifes edge – we didn't know what was going to happen or when. The only thing that we knew for sure was that Phoebe was clearly out of her mind and I knew that Jeff regretted ever letting her into our lives. It didn't matter how many times Drea told him that he was in no way responsible or that he would have been able to tell that she was crazy; he just couldn't or wouldn't admit that it wasn't his fault.

Jeff was as stubborn as Drea – if not more so – and for a lot of people that was hard to comprehend.

What wasn't so hard to comprehend was the fact that he and Drea were meant to be. There was absolutely nothing about them that said they couldn't make it through this – hell they had faced more than enough to get to this point in their life. I had no doubt that Phoebe was trying to come in-between them but she wouldn't have a chance in breaking them.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	32. Chapter 32 Complete Privacy!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 32 – Complete Privacy.**_

_**Missouri; the following afternoon;**_

_**Drea's POV;**_

Finally we could be alone without the worries of actually being videoed and all the other stuff that was subsequently going to come from that. All the people looking and whispering about me on the plane, all the reporters that had been present at the airport when we had landed and the way the message boards were alight with gossip and speculation.

The minute my eyes landed on Jeff waiting for me in the foyer of the hotel in Missouri; he had dragged me away from our friends and Family so that we could be alone.

For the whole afternoon we had stayed in bed; completely submerged in one another. Hell a pack of wild horses couldn't have separated us at that point. Just knowing that we were safely hidden behind closed doors made for the connection between us to deepen. I could hardly believe that Jeff's home wasn't this safe haven of a hotel room. I had become so used to having privacy with us that the knowledge of knowing that we didn't have that privacy had sort of knocked my confidence slightly.

The minute that Jeff had touched me – I had almost shied away for fear of there somehow being a camera hidden somewhere. I had never gone out of my way to follow Jeff around or to try and get all the attention on me – that most definitely wasn't what I was about or who I was. I was glad that the people close to me and the fans who followed the Hardy show were showing me enough respect to know that this was going to be hard and they had even started cussing the person who had invaded our privacy.

Once I had gotten over the initial shyness – there had been no stopping us. My stomach lurched as my fingers caressed the smooth flesh of his legs; feeling the shiver emanate from his body in response was like a surge of power that had me breathless in the matter of seconds. My tongue ran the length of his shaft and I watched as he began throbbing with his desire and I couldn't deny him any longer as long moans ripped from his chest desperately. Looking in to those eyes that were half closed with pleasure; those beautifully shaped lips parted slightly as I circled the glistening head of his cock – instantly his breath was out of control. I had never felt power like this in all my life – the power that he let me have over him was the biggest head rush that I had ever experienced in my life.

Slowly my lips slid over the tip and felt the almost velvet flesh brush against my tongue and I was lost in the moment; lost at watching his reactions to what I was inflicting on him and lost in the love that we shared with one another. Slowly my lips reached the base of his twitching cock; my tongue swirled desperately around him as his breath quickened once again. I knew that without a doubt I loved this man more than I had ever loved anyone – he was my best friend, he had been my saviour and he was now my lover.

The long talented fingers on his right hand began to brush through my hair – there was something completely sensual about this moment, something that I just couldn't get a grip on but he was intent on driving me crazy. With my head resting on his leg; my naked body faced his and I could see the way he was lost in my dips and curves as his fingers slowly slid down towards my neck; lightly dancing over the flesh as if they were little fairies with barely even any weight behind them. Each sinfully placed step was breaking me out in large goose-bumps and I was shivering despite the heat in the room.

My lips tightened around his dick, which was still having some type of desperate fit inside my mouth, and I slowly began to slide upwards ensuring that my tongue swirled around to get the entire feel of every inch of flesh.

"_Mmmmm Drea!" _his words seemed to be something that he wasn't entirely in control of. I watched the way his breath once again quickened as I let my teeth lightly drag across the flesh to compliment the soft tenderness of my touch.

"_Mmmm?" _I asked holding his stare as best I could with the way that his eyes were now more than half closed in the pleasure filled sensations.

Every engorged vein pulsed against my tongue; and grated against my teeth until I knew there was no way that he was far off and that was when I felt the long moan from escaping deep inside me. Sucked back in to the moment, I could feel the gentle tweaking of my nipples and I was coursing with hunger, I was instantly desperate but the minute I tried to move so I could sink my hips on to his large girth – he stopped what he was doing and gave me the look that said all in good time.

My boyfriend was trying to kill me – I was more than sure of it!

Settling back in to my rhythm was easy as his fingers continued to tease me – I was breathless and finding it hard to concentrate but the minute I locked eyes with him again; it was like everything else faded in to the background and I could almost hear his thoughts and as I watched him I knew that I thought that because of the way his thoughts marked his handsome features with grace and love.

Sliding down over my panting stomach; I could feel the involuntary tremble breaking free from the inside and my breath wouldn't come back no matter how many times I begged it too.

Without warning my body jerked towards him dramatically as his fingers nudged my thighs apart and plunged so deep and hard in to me that I couldn't stop myself from screaming his name out.

Sparks of hot-white desire coursed in every vein of my body, a volcanic desire was rising as his fingers found my g spot with absolutely no problem.

"_Close your legs!" _he ordered me in a commanding tone that did little for the way I was trembling but I did as he demanded and closed my thighs around his hand and the pleasure intensified until I was all but holding on to reality and his blow job with the tips of my fingers. Friction built easily as my hips followed the gentle rhythm of his own hips and the pleasure was rising like a tidal wave getting ready to devour every part of my body to its firey depths.

With each solid stroke of my tongue; I applied subtle amounts of pleasure that I could see marking his face with increased desire; his eyes were burning a firey golden colour which was a complete contradiction to his natural earthy green colour. I was beginning to shake, I could feel the net closing in around me; I could feel the ripples inside me beginning at the very edge of my consciousness until I was lost in the throws of such an amazing release that I was increasing my movement over his cock until he too was joining me and roaring my name to the point where I was sure that the other guests in the hall would be hearing him.

Both of us collapsed in a tangled pile of limbs and breathlessness.

My head slowly moved to rest against his soft yet hard stomach. I loved the feel of his flesh against me, I loved the heat that radiated from him to me and I loved the way we could just lie like this and not worry about anything else in the world.

"You're amazing!" he informed me softly while his mouth licked up the remaining taste of my release from his fingers.

"You're not so bad yourself -!" I replied smiling as I watched the way his eyes rolled back in his head to the taste that was exploding in to his mouth.

"It's more than that though – I don't know how to explain it other than – you are much, much more than what even I expected you to be," the way he was talking I knew that it was frustrating to know what you wanted to say but unable to actually get the words out properly, but he was doing much better than he thought he was.

I didn't know what to say – accepting compliments was sometimes not my greatest feature. So instead I beamed at him feeling more happy than I ever had. I knew that it was down to him, I knew that I owed him a hell of a lot and I promised myself that I would definitely make it up to him.

"We need to talk Drea," he said the words so softly that I almost missed them but I could see the burning need that he had to get whatever it was off his chest as quickly as possible.

_**Jeff's POV;**_

Being with a woman had never felt so completely right before. I knew that I had finally found the woman that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. There was absolutely no doubt about that in my head. After everything that we had been through to get to this point had made us a much better couple – we had built the mental connection to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if I could tell anyone what she was thinking at this exact moment.

"What about handsome?" she asked gently running her fingers over my stomach and tangling in to my chest hair until I was shivering all over again.

No woman before her had the power that she had over me; it was like no matter where we were, what we were doing; we were so close that nothing could break in between us. I wouldn't let it.

"Well you know that we have this interview to do tonight?" I asked her.

"I do," she didn't sound altogether happy about it but there was nothing that we could do.

Vince had been more than clear on his point – I wouldn't get the belt before I left unless we did this interview. People said that he was a master manipulator and they were exactly right. If there was some way for him to take advantage of one of his wrestler's private lives to make money then he had absolutely no problem in doing so. Hell he had done it plenty of times to me in the past. I don't know why I had thought that this time would be any different.

From what he had told me – the offices had received a record amount of complaints and comments about what had been posted on the internet. As I lay here with my girlfriend, Vince was getting his lawyers to find who had posted the video and it had thankfully now been removed from the youtube site – but everyone already knew that it had caused the damage that it had been meant too.

Drea was very much a private girl – she had always been more than happy to remain in the background when we were out. There had only been a few instances when she had allowed herself to be photographed by fans and I knew that in her mind; she didn't need to be seen on my arm to know that I loved her and wanted her with me all the time – hell that was one of the main reasons that I was taking time off from the WWE.

"Well you know that we have to do a photo shoot too?" I asked waiting in earnest for the back lash of that piece of information.

"_What?! You never said anything about that!" _she was angry and rightly so.

Just because we were together shouldn't mean that she had to be placed in the spotlight if she wasn't comfortable with it.

"I know and I'm sorry about that, I wish that you really didn't have to do this but it's his stipulation!"

"That is just ridiculous – the man is a fucking leech. Anything for him to make more fucking money huh?" she charged angrily not afraid to tell me what she thought of my boss.

That was another thing that I loved about Drea – she wasn't afraid to call it as she saw it. For years her mouth had gotten her in to some problems but she had never backed down from that; when it was something that she believed then she would stick with it to her death. You didn't have to like her to respect her for that.

"I would have to agree with you on that one," I admitted nodding my head. "I just think that we need to get through this as quickly as humanly possible and then hope that it blows over.

"Do you seriously believe that its going to blow over that easily?" she asked me reaching to the nightstand for her cigarettes and sticking one in between my lips before lighting her own. "I mean Jesus-fucking-Christ; you wouldn't want fucking privacy or peace when he's around."

There was no need for me to say anything because I could tell that she was on a roll – it took a lot for Drea to get mad but when it came to the way my boss was treating me; she had always had very colourful views on him and his actions. Just like she was with all our friends and Family; she was loyal and fierce.

"- not to fucking mention the man is a fucking moron. I mean come the fuck on; what exactly is seeing pictures of me and you going to do for him? Sell maybe another couple of issues – oh wow; score!" she ranted sarcastically. "I really wish that the ground would open up and swallow him whole!"

I bit back the chuckle that was threatening to escape from my chest. When she was like this she was really funny – as she continued to rant; her cigarette was flapping through the air at rapid speeds as she sat up crossing her legs.

Without any form of self control, my eyes drank in the beauty that was her naked form. For years I had wondered what she must look like naked and now that I was with her and seen her naked; it was like my thoughts had been so far off how gorgeous she was – there was not one part of her that I wasn't completely in love with.

"- hello earth to Jeff?" she was now waving her hands in front of my face to try and grab my attention.

"I love you!" I said softly as my fingers caressed her thigh gently.

"What?"

"I love you," there was absolutely no doubt in me that said I shouldn't say it. "I mean I know that I have always loved you but now – being here with you like this, I know that I could never love anyone the way that I love you and need you in my life. Drea you stole my heart and I can't and don't want it back, I want it with you because I know that it'll be safe,"

"Jeff -!" she started to say but I held my hand up to stop her.

"You don't need to say it back," I couldn't help the little flutter of my heart at the realization that she wasn't going to say it back but I wouldn't push her.

"I want too," she told me softly.

"What?"

"I love you Jeff – I have loved you forever. I just wish that we hadn't missed so many years – but I think deep down, we had to go through all of that to be able to be here in this moment, connected on every possible level,"

Reacting quicker than I would have given myself credit for; my arms were around her and pulling her to my naked frame and kissing her lips with such passion, such desire and complete submission at the same time that I was left momentarily suspended in time.

I never wanted to forget this moment and I didn't want to think about anything other than us building a happy life together without the hassles of having to worry about anyone coming in between us again.

I really couldn't be happier as we both fell back on to the bed still attached at the mouth; my life had come full circle and there was absolutely nothing that I wouldn't do for this beautiful, gorgeous, sexy and brilliant woman in my arms.

**R/N - THANK YOU to those who are giving me the feedback that they are - it makes sharing my work so much nicer and easier for me. I love getting the reviews; it gives me more confidence in what I write, so please; if you want more then let me know. I love you guys to bits :)**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	33. Chapter 33 How was the interview?

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 33 – How was the Interview?**_

_**Later that night;**_

_**Britt's POV;**_

We all knew that it had been hard for Drea to agree to do the interview because she had always stated that she didn't want the fame and although that hadn't changed; Vince was the one who had taken that right away from her. Vince and Phoebe; because there was absolutely no doubt that Phoebe was the one who posted that damn video in the first place.

If Claire and I could get our hands on her; we'd do damage to her.

Drea and Jeff had arrived back to the hotel a couple hours ago; they had disappeared in to their hotel room to be alone before the boys had to make their way down to the arena for the PPV. We were heading down there ourselves once we were ready and had, had a few drinks. So here we were hanging out in Drea and Jeff's room throwing back the shots of JD that Drea was pouring while we got ready.

"So the interview how did it really go?" Claire asked our friend as she popped the window of the room.

"It went a lot better than I had imagined it would – the questions weren't that bad. I mean sure I felt like I was under the spot light but at the end of the day – Jeff and I did nothing wrong and I need to remember that," she replied flopping down on to the bed. "I mean there were a few awkward questions but Jeff jumped right in there and saved me from having to answer -!"

"Awkward like how?" I asked her.

"Well the reporter asked me if we had been having sex for longer than we have actually been together, then there was the one where he asked if I was proud of stealing Jeff away from Phoebe -!"

"He asked what?" Claire exclaimed loudly with her glass half way to her mouth.

"Yep – he basically accused me of stealing Jeff away from Phoebe and if I was proud of the way that I had done it, then he had started on about how so many of the fans were disappointed because they liked Phoebe,"

"Like hell they do!" Claire all but growled angrily.

Clearly that idiot douche bag of a reporter had never been on the Hardy Show message boards – there were only a select few who liked Phoebe. It wasn't that people had anything against her; it was just that everyone was so used to seeing Jeff and Drea together that when they found out that Phoebe was the one he was dating; it just hit them hard.

One thing about the Hardy fans; they were loyal and they all had their own unique opinions on the boys and their lives. Almost everyone wanted Jeff and Drea together and most of them wanted it more than what Jeff and Drea had seemed to want it.

"That's what Jeff told him – he said that the majority of his fans know Drea and love her to bits. All along they had been saying that we should be together but neither of us was willing to admit it at the time," she replied throwing a cigarette to Claire and I before lighting her own and taking a deep draw. "The guy even had the nerve to ask me what Daniel would have thought of us getting together -!"

"_WHAT?!"_ Claire and I both exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah I had to basically hold Jeff back at that point. Of all the stupid questions to ask, of all the things to bring up he had to bring that one subject in to the interview. Jeff was seething and I was close to tears because I know that deep down people are going to be thinking what about Daniel!"

We all knew that in this business we had little to no privacy when it came to the relationships that we had with the guys but to bring someone's dead husband in to an interview was a low blow even for the WWE. Obviously it was going to cause a reaction and I was left thinking that, that was exactly what Vince had been after.

The man was a snake and he would take advantage of any personal situation to make a quick buck and a lame storyline that the viewers either appreciated or hated. There was really no in between with the WWE world – fans either hated wrestlers, storylines and moves or they loved them. It was definitely hard to find someone who thought they were ok.

"You know that Daniel wanted this and that is the most important thing sweetie," I said reaching my hand out to her.

"I know and I know that the majority of the fans know that too but in my mind; this is exactly what Phoebe wanted! I mean Jeff and I were so close today that there is no way that, that reporter could state that there are any cracks in our relationship but still I can't stop thinking about the way that Jeff reacted to the question – and I just know that its gonna be reported that Jeff is jealous of a dead man,"

I could most definitely see where Drea was coming from on the subject. Matt and I had faced our own media bullshit when we had first started dating – Vince had demanded the exact same thing of Matt and I. We were to be interviewed and photographed but the only difference was that Randy was in our photos.

In the beginning Randy had gone on the record as saying that he wasn't happy that his little sister was dating Matt Hardy; not because he didn't like Matt but because of the age gap. It had been a huge story and one that had the WWE universe divided – people who thought that age didn't matter and those who thought that age did matter. Matt and I had been the centre of much speculation and questioning, not to mention people saying that we'd never last because of the age gap – ha; we'd shown them. We were still together and we were stronger than ever.

"Well you know what the best thing is?" Claire asked looking at our friend.

"What's that?"

"You and Jeff, and all your friends and Family know the truth – we all know that Jeff was indeed a little jealous when you got married to Daniel but the truth is he ended up liking Daniel because at the end of the day – no one could hate Daniel, he was just that guy!"

Claire was dead right – there was something about Daniel that broke down your defences and captured you until you submitted and admitted that he was a good guy.

It hadn't been hard to see that he was good for Drea – not only did he love her unconditionally; he made her feel like she was the most important person in the world and he hadn't minded that she had a male best friend. Many people said that he had been a mug for allowing her to hang out with Jeff when he knew how they felt about one another but it was just one of those things that made him who he was. To him; Drea was his wife, he was the one that she came home to, he was the one that she had chosen and he was the one who got all of her. There had never been an instance when he had thought that he couldn't trust her.

My mind turned to Matt and I thought about all the things that we had encountered since we had started dating and I knew in my heart that I trusted him with everything that I had. Matt was the love of my life and he was there for me when I needed him, he never let me down and he never gave me cause to think badly of him.

I was unsure what it was about the Hardy's but they were good people despite the bad things that they had been through. They never allowed anyone to use their issues against them and they overcame almost everything that was put in their path.

How could I not love him?

_**Claire's POV;**_

It really had been a stressful day all round. We had known that our friends had that interview and we had, had the feeling that it wasn't going to be a smooth ride. At least they had gotten through it without too much hassle though.

But I could most definitely remember when it had been Shannon and me that had been faced with the media. My Parent's had gone to the local papers and started a hate campaign against Shannon for taking me away from them. Of course at the time Shannon was still with the WWE so we had been faced with the same kind of interview. Anything for Vince to make a quick buck out of his employee's personal lives. The man was a pariah and it didn't matter to him how uncomfortable you were – you did as you were asked or life became hell for you.

There was absolutely no way that Drea would have risked Vince taking away Jeff's chance to get the belt before he left.

"You know it makes me mad as hell to think that they are doing this to Jeff right before he leaves – I mean Jesus shouldn't it be about his career and not his personal life?" Drea exasperated loudly.

"Well we all agree with you sweetie and the real fans will agree with you but unfortunately those little fan girls are a huge money maker for any company," Britt pointed out.

It was true I guess – it didn't matter to the real fans who knew the difference between a storyline and real life but those types of fans rarely bought in the type of money that they younger fan girls took in. They would be hanging out at the shops to get their WWE magazine especially if it had anything to do with Jeff in it.

Unfortunately or fortunately, whatever way you wanted to look at it, the Hardy boys was the WWE's number one money earner. It was mainly because the boys were so approachable and seemed like down to earth real people, which of course they were, and they went out of their way to allow fans to see how they lived and what they did; nothing was more obvious than the Hardy Show, which was their online TV show; it gave fans and people the chance to see how Matt and Jeff really lived along with Shannon and their other friends. Entertainment was what the boys were about and they made no apologies for that.

"I know!" sighed Drea unhappily.

Starting a new relationship was hard for everyone but to have to face this kind of scrutiny at the beginning of any relationship whether it be from your chosen partner's friends and Family or whether it was down to fans if you were in the public eye for any reason.

As Shannon always told me; opinions are like assholes; everyone has one.

"I just wish – I wish that we could have kept it quieter for a little longer. Not because I am ashamed or anything but I want a little piece of Jeff for myself – is that so hard to understand?" she asked us making strong eye contact to ensure that we gave honest answers.

"Of course it isn't!" Britt and I both replied at the same time.

After all they had been through to get together – it was more than understandable that she would want a little piece of that to herself. God, I had felt the same way when it had been me and Shannon that were interviewed and I knew that Britt had felt the exact same way when the light was on her and Matt and their new found relationship.

"I guess I have to say one good thing came from the interview," Drea announced.

"What's that honey?" I asked stubbing my smoked cigarette out in the ashtray.

"The photos that they took today were amazing,"

"What were they like?" Britt questioned as she too stubbed out her smoked cigarette while Drea smoked hers all the way down to the filter.

"Well it was the one thing that Vince allowed me to have – but I think it was more because everyone already knows who I am but I have my face hidden in all of the photos – or only my profile visible,"

Brittany and I sat around and listened to what Drea was telling us about the photos and it did seem like they had been tastefully done for a change. I knew that Drea hated the thought of cashing in on Jeff's fame just to be recognizable; in fact she would happily carry on with her life if she wasn't easily recognizable.

"So how was your first night here?" I asked her as she began pulling her outfit for tonight out of her bag.

"It was amazing you guys – it's like the first time all over again only this time I know for a fact that there will be no video leaked to the media," she sighed happily and a dreamy look filtered across her features.

"You know we haven't seen this kind of look on your before – even with Daniel you didn't seem this happy and relaxed," I observed.

It wasn't until it was out of my mouth that I realized that it could be taken the wrong way. We all knew that Drea had loved Daniel, and that he was everything to her and that had been obvious when she had lost him.

"With Daniel it was different – I can't even explain why or how I just know that it didn't feel at all like it does with Jeff – with Jeff its like I've come home, like I am right where I belong and its amazing and I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is!" she giggled softly.

It was good to see that happy look back on her face and we knew in that instant there was nothing that Phoebe could do to break them up or come in between them. It just wasn't plausible and with that thought in mind, it was like calmness swept over us all.

Jeff and Drea were together where they belonged and it wasn't hard to see the love that flew between them. Just seeing the way they looked at one another or the way they seemed to gravitate towards one another when they were in the same room or listening to them talking to one another – you would just know that they were in love and that they were right where they belonged.

Matt and Britt were together and they were more than happy – their connection to one another had overcome all the hassles that they had faced just because of the age gap between them. They were in love and they were so settled that I was sure they would end up getting married in the near future.

Shannon and myself were on the right path too – we were married, we had everything that we could ever want from one another and there was nothing in our way to stop us from having everything that we had ever wanted. I was in doubt about how lucky I was to have this man by my side for the rest of my life.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the amazing reviews and the fact that you take the time to read is the best thing that comes from writing - you make it all worth while, if you want more you know what to do. Love you all to bits,**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	34. Chapter 34 One Last Time!

_**If You Only Knew.**_

_**Chapter 34 – One Last Time.**_

_**An Hour Later; Arena;**_

_**Matt's POV;**_

It had been a strange day – we were all hanging out waiting for Jeff and Drea to get back from their interview only for them to say it had gone fine and then disappear up to their room. It wasn't hard to understand why; they had been handed a rough deal to handle. Anyone in their position would much prefer to remain hidden until it all passed by unfortunately it just couldn't be like that.

Jeff had his winning match tonight – he was being allowed to hold the belt one last time before he took his sabbatical from the company. So remaining hidden just wasn't an option for him right now and Drea had the opening of her shop coming up too – Phoebe had definitely picked the right moment to stick it to them.

Not one of us had a problem in believing that Phoebe was behind this. The girl was obsessed and it wasn't with the person that we had first believed.

Drea was creeped out by it – understandably because had it been a man; it would be easy to tell him to get lost but Drea was finding it hard to get through to Phoebe and she had confessed that all she wanted to do was beat her to within an inch of her life because of all the hassle that she had caused. I knew that was one of the things that Jeff was finding hard to deal with out of it all – his competition was a girl; not there was anything wrong with that but for Jeff; he just didn't know how to react accordingly. Had it been a guy; he would have just pulled him aside and stated his position on it but it was different with a woman and whoever said it wasn't then they were lying or kidding themselves.

"There you are," Britt called to me as she rounded the corner with Claire and Drea at her side.

I couldn't stop the smile from coming to my face as she slowly moved towards me and then in to my arms. It still amazed me at how small she appeared to be next to me – she was small and she was like this addictive force that I couldn't ever seem to get enough of.

"Mmmm you smell good," I whispered in to her ear.

"Eeeewwwweeee guys – too much information! We're standing right here!" Drea complained hiding her eyes as my hands landed on the top of my girlfriend's ass and just remained there as I became lost in her beautiful shining eyes.

"Oh blah, blah! You do remember what we were talking about at the hotel right?" Britt turned and smiled at her friend.

"Major difference Britt – Jeff wasn't actually there to act out what I told you," Drea smiled and stuck her tongue out happily.

It was definitely one of the things that Drea was good at – hiding her emotions when she was in public. Out of everyone; she was the one who could make it look like she had no troubles in the world. Although right now I knew that she was feeling self conscious on the inside – she would be wondering which of Jeff's co-workers had watched the video and which of them were looking at her now and judging her.

"Drea!" Chris Jericho's voice called through the air. "There's my fave girl," he smiled at her happily.

"Chris!" Drea exclaimed rushing past Britt and I to get to her friend.

I watched as the 2 embraced and then started talking quietly to one another, which gave me a chance to talk to Britt and Claire about what had gone on at the interview. Jeff had said that it went ok and that was all he was willing to discuss on the matter.

"So how was the interview? Did she tell you?" I asked.

"Yeah she said that it was ok apart from when she had to pull Jeff back from the interviewer making some smart ass comment about Daniel," Britt explained.

Claire was watching Drea and Chris who called that they were going to grab something to drink and disappeared back the way that I had just come.

"That explains it!" I muttered more to myself than to anyone else.

"Explains what?" my girl asked looking up into my eyes with that look that could instantly have me submitting to her.

"Jeff has been storming around backstage like a bear with a sore head and he's been snapping and being short with everyone, I thought that it might have just been about tonight – you know winning the belt and all that, since it is his last reign, but deep down I was worried that it was something to do with the interview,"

Vince definitely had the tendency to piss people off with the way that he ran his business – I mean the man had millions of dollars to his name and he found it necessary to use his employee's personal lives to make a story or to make him money. The way he got his way was even worse – power and fear could corrupt the nicest of people and that is exactly what had happened with Vince. Not that I had ever known of him as nice but there were rumours about who he used to be.

"Damn it! Is he ok?" Claire asked me running her hands through her hair and sighing.

It had been a tiring and tough time around our lives lately, not to mention the fact that we tried as hard as we possibly could to ensure that we didn't let all of it leak to the media about what was going on, which was another reason why Drea and Jeff were angry about the video.

It had been a complete invasion of their privacy and one that I knew affected them both more than they could express at this moment. I just had to hope that it would pass soon and without too much more damage being caused.

"There's my gorgeous wife!" Shannon growled stepping up behind Claire and claiming her frame to his embrace.

"Where's Drea?" Jeff asked looking at our faces – there was a grim line on his features that said he could hardly wait for the following 3 weeks to get over and done with.

"She went to get something to drink with Jericho," Britt informed him.

We watched as he nodded and excused himself to go find his girlfriend. At least we had one good thing happen – he and Drea had finally, after years and years, of circling one another, given in to what was between them. It had hurt me to see how upset Jeff had gotten when Drea married Daniel and then to watch how upset Drea had been when Jeff started dating Phoebe. It had been a badly written script that none of us could seem to get them to give up.

"Is he ok?" Claire asked her husband.

"He will be once this next 3 weeks are over," Shannon nodded. "Until then we just need to be supportive and patient with him,"

Shannon had been in our lives for as long as Drea had been so it wasn't a surprise to hear him talking like he was – he knew Jeff as good as either me or Drea. When Shannon said that he would be ok; seemed to just leave me feeling calmer; he and Jeff were best friends next to the friendship that Jeff had, had with Drea.

I had to hope that everything would work out the way that it was meant to because Jeff really did need to take a break from everything; he had so much pain to deal with on a daily basis that it wasn't good for anyone's psyche to deal with it without a break.

_**Shannon's POV;**_

Keeping Claire pulled against me, I allowed us to be led in the direction of the canteen after Jeff who was clearly in search of his girlfriend.

I was worried about my friends – I was always worried about them but this was something entirely different. Jeff and Drea were facing something that most people couldn't even begin to comprehend. For Jeff, I had to imagine, it was tough – if it was a man who was doing all of this then it would be easy for Jeff to sort it out but it wasn't a man, it was a girl and that wasn't something that any of us had ever dealt with.

"How is Drea holding up really?" I whispered to Claire walking along behind her.

"She's trying to hold it together but Britt and I could see the strain in her eyes tonight. I mean you know what Drea is like, and Jeff too, they both feel like sex is a private and intimate thing that shouldn't be shared with -!" Claire's voice faded away in to nothing as we entered the cafeteria to see Drea laughing with Jericho and Randy Orton sat at a table a few spaces back watching her.

The minute his sister entered the room, he was waving her over, giving us a look, she excused herself and made her way to her brother while we sat down next to Drea and Jericho who were still laughing with one another.

"What y'all laughing at?" I asked as they both looked at us all as we invaded their space.

"We're actually talking about that time we got snowed in at Chicago and y'all decided that you were going to do swanton bombs out the window in to the snow in nothing but your boxer shorts – you guys almost gave me heart failure that night," Drea giggled as the tears started to flow down her cheeks.

That night had been before Claire and I had gotten together and way before Matt had met Brittany – Drea had come on the road with us because we had left it too late to ask her to do our hair, so she had to come on the road so that she could do as we asked. We had been in Chicago waiting for our flight out but had ended up getting snowed in because the storm was just getting worse to the point where it was basically a white out.

Jericho, Edge, Christian, Matt, Jeff and myself were in Drea's room that she was sharing with Jeff; we had ordered a whole bar full of drinks and proceeded to get rip roaring drunk and it had been Christian's idea, if I was remembering correctly, to do swanton bombs out of the 3rd floor window.

Drea, being the mother hen of the group, had tried to talk us out of it but at the time, we had all been so drunk that listening to her was something that none of us were capable of doing. In fact I think that is what made Jericho jump up and be the first one to actually do it. I can still remember the gasp in Drea's voice as she pushed through everyone to look down at a smiling – and shivering – Jericho. It was at that point where Drea had flown in to a full blown rant about idiots and childish pranks, and I was certain that I heard something along the lines of her muttering about being the one that we would all run too when we hurt ourselves.

We had a laugh trying to actually get back inside – the foyer was full of people who were being redirected back to their rooms, and here we were – a bunch of wrestlers – in nothing but our boxer shorts, we were red raw, shivering and pissed as farts.

Drea had gone off on one when we finally got back to the hotel room; through towels at us and dry cloths, which she had gone and gathered from everyone's rooms.

"Yeah and y'all won't be doing that shit again anytime soon!" Drea announced as she fell in to Jeff's arms, and just took comfort from his embrace.

It was definitely good to see them like this – after all the time that we had thought that there was no way that they were going to get together. But seeing them now – it was like they had always been like this.

"Well of course not – there's no snow!" Jericho winked mischievously.

It wasn't hard to see that he had a fair amount of affection for Drea but that was considerable because of the fact that Jeff and Drea were so close. On the road Jericho was one of Jeff's best mates and they had often bunked together when Drea wasn't on the road with us.

"Oh you're funny Christina!" Drea laughed calling him the nickname that Shaq had given him when he had guest hosted WWE's RAW a few weeks back.

"Oh that is so not funny!" Jericho pouted dramatically and it was good to see that even Jeff was laughing as his held Drea as close to him as possible.

It was understandable that he was as protective as he was – not to mention the Phoebe thing, but they had fought so hard to get together that I think both of them were just worried that somehow the other would disappear on them without warning.

"I thought it was!" Drea admitted laughing again.

"Do you think that you could get me a cola babe?" Claire asked turning her head to look at me.

"Cola? Are you sure?" I asked.

Claire was very much about healthy eating – and that usually didn't include fizzy drinks. It was actually quite weird to hear her ask for a cola without the usual shot of JD that she always had with it.

"Yeah – I don't think I have had enough sugar intake today – I'm feeling a little queasy!"

"Do you want a banana or a chocolate bar?" I asked panicking as I usually did.

It was just my nature to get worry about the people in my life, I guess it was just who I was. I hadn't had the kind of connection with my previous girlfriends – I think because I knew what Claire had come from, I just worried about her that much more.

"Oh a banana would be great babe – but don't forget the cola," She replied smiling as I got up from the seat and placed a gentle kiss to her head and made my way to the catering line.

As I waited to be served, I watched my friends, Jericho and Drea were playing thumb wars, while Jeff and Matt were running commentary and Claire was laughing.

Suddenly it felt like it was the calm before the storm for whatever reason. My entire body shuddered at the thought but I knew that it was serving me well – I just had to remember that whatever was coming wasn't anything that could break us and as I watched Drea and Matt finally get up to talk to one another in private, I hoped that we were going to get through all that was coming.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys for the amazing reviews and the fact that you take the time to read is the best thing that comes from writing - you make it all worth while, if you want more you know what to do. Love you all to bits,**

**Harley  
xoxoxo**


	35. Chapter 35 I need help!

**_If You Only Knew._**

**_Chapter 35 – I Need Help._**

**_Drea's POV;_**

Having known Matt for as long as I had, I knew that something was a little off with him. For the past couple of weeks it's been like his mind has been somewhere else. With all that Jeff and I were facing, I was surprised that he had time to think about anything else because as always; he had been our rock.

The thing with Matt, that most people didn't get or see, was that he was the foundation of our friendships. Matt was an extremely loyal man and he loved his friends as if they were his children; if there was anything that he could do for anyone – he would do it without question or without thinking about himself. It was one of the reasons that made him so unique and very much his own person.

All those years that I spent hanging out with the guys had formed a tight bond with us all. We were there for one another no matter happened or who it involved. Nothing had been more obvious that the way it had been when Phoebe was with Jeff.

Glancing back to the table to see Jeff and Jericho talking to one another. I couldn't have wished to be happier than I was right in this moment. It just felt like everything had slipped into place and we were right where we were supposed to be. I wasn't going to pretend that what we had was something that had been easy for us to achieve; there had been so much time and so much hurt over the years that it would be impossible to forget it all but at the end of the day; we were now together and I couldn't feel happier about that.

Jeff made me – everything that he was had complimented who I was with such easiness that I was beginning to forget the times when he had just been my friend.

However, that was something that scared me because I didn't want to forget everything. My marriage to Daniel had been a huge part of my life, I had loved him as much as I possibly could and the thought of trying to replace what we had was not only scary but it was crippling too. I didn't want anyone to think that just because I was with Jeff now, that my marriage hadn't meant anything to me because that simply wasn't true. A small part of me would always love Daniel – the man had been a huge chunk of my life that forgetting that just wasn't something I felt comfortable with; but Daniel wanted me to move forward; he had said so himself.

"So what's up big man?" I asked looking up in to the eyes of the man I regarded as my older brother.

Matt had taken a whole lot of flack from us when we were growing up – Jeff and I would play pranks on him galore. When he had been out on a date, he would come home and be so excited to tell us everything that he just didn't pick up on the pranks that we pulled. Many a time we would tell him that while he was out; a girl had called for him and we'd just randomly pick a number and tell him that he had to ask for Teresa Green, there was also – Bonnie Beaver, Brandy Anne Koch, Daryl Rhea, Ella Vader, Emma Royds, Helen Back, Helen Zaas, Iona Stonehouse and Tess Steckle. We had thought for sure that he would cotton on to what we were teasing him with but never once did he figure it out until it was too late and he had made a fool of himself.

Jeff and I had definitely made his life hell – the poor guy didn't know whether he was coming or going half the time. We switched his shampoo with Nair at one point – that had been the worst of all the pranks that we played on him. After that one; we kept it to simply stupid pranks.

"I wanted to ask your advice on something?" he started slowly looking around to make sure we weren't being listened too.

"Ok – you know that you can come to me whenever you need too," I replied.

"Yeah I know that now – there was a time when I couldn't though," clearly he had been thinking about the exact same thing that I had been thinking about.

Numerous times he had wanted to talk to me over the years when we were teenagers but I would just rip the piss out of him. It had never been in a cruel way but now looking back on it; although it's pretty funny, I couldn't imagine it had been much fun for him.

"I'm sorry about that – it was incredibly childish -!"

"Yeah well we were kids and in all honesty; it sorta made me feel like I was being included with you and Jeff. You know you 2 were always up to something, you were always huddled together and you always seemed to want to just do stuff without me – I kinda felt left out,"

I had never known that he had felt like that – I had never intentionally pushed him out or wanted him to feel like he wasn't a part of what Jeff and I were up to. Moving towards him I hugged him so tightly that I swear I could feel his steady heart beat against me.

"I'm so sorry Matty – I never wanted to make you feel like that," I whispered softly as his lips touched down on the top of my head.

"Its all in the past now sugar – there's no need to dwell on it," he replied softly.

"Well tell me what you wanted advice on – maybe I can start to make up for all that past stuff," I said softly pulling back and looking up in to his kind soulful eyes.

Matt had always been there for me – even after all that joke stuff, he had been by my side, he listened when I needed someone, other than Jeff, to talk too and he had never questioned my decisions or my believes. I had been so wrapped up in myself growing up that sometimes I forgot about those around me, but I was trying my hardest to be a different person now that I was older.

Its funny how things and people change, my own perspective had changed dramatically when I moved in with the Hardy's – I found that Families could talk and relate and support one another through everything. Gil and the boys had given me my first taste of unconditional love and for that I would always be in their debt.

Looking back on it – Matt was like my brother, we teased one another and played jokes on one another like real brother and sisters do. There was the time that he put bath bombs on my jeans pocket so that when I got to school I looked like I had peed myself, there was the time when he had told the guy that I had a crush on how I felt – that was long before I had started looking at Jeff in that light – then there was the time that Matt got Jeff to walk in on me when I was in the shower, or should I say just getting out of the shower and last but not least was the time when he had pulled all the hair out of my hairbrush and left it lying on my pillow, which made me think that I was losing my hair.

"The thing is – I have been thinking a lot the past few days – I want – I need – no what I want – is to – spend the rest of – my life with – Britt!" he explained like I didn't already know that.

"Well duh; are you only just realizing this now?" I asked probably looking as confused as my insides felt.

"No – I mean yes – I mean no – what it is – see I want to ask her-to-marry-me!" he blurted it out and I could hear a sharp gasp of breath and only realized a few seconds later that it was my own and Matt was staring at me waiting for me to say something.

I truly couldn't find the words that I wanted to say so instead I flung my arms around him tightly and clung to him for dear life. Maybe things would start turning better from here on in, we had all been so on edge with the whole Phoebe thing that we needed some good news and I had a feeling that this was it.

**_Jeff's POV;_**

Watching her from across the room; it was easy to see that she was calm and relaxed – at least one of us was. My stomach still lurched when I thought about that video on the internet. Not that I was ashamed of anything that I shared with Drea – because I wasn't. Everything that we had, everything that made us this new couple was important to me and if I could I would shout it from the roof tops but unfortunately not everyone saw it like I did.

Vince had mentioned the amount of complaints that he had received since the video had been uploaded and I couldn't for the life of me care what other people thought but because I was in his employment; I had to do as he said. That had included doing that stupid assed interview; where the reporter had pissed me off and it meant doing those photos, which weren't all that bad after all and then there was the public apology that I was meant to write.

Why the hell should I apologise for something that everyone did?

It's not like we had gone out there purposely to be caught on camera, we had been in, what should have been, the privacy of my own house. What really bothered me though was the fact that what should have been private and intimate between Drea and I had not been in any shape or form the way that I wanted it to be.

For as long as I could remember Drea and I had the same believes when it came to sex. It was something that should only be entered too upon the realization of the connection that should be in place before such an intimate act.

"So you and Drea huh?" Jericho asked dragging me back in to the present time with a speedy bump.

"Mmhmmm," I nodded unable to stop the stupid grin from coming to my face.

It was at this moment that I realized that I wasn't the only one sat here staring at her like a damn idiot. Across the other side of the room was Randy Orton, staring at her openly as he talked with his sister and my brother's girlfriend. It's not like I could blame him for staring because in my eyes, she really was the most beautiful woman in the room and I couldn't forget the fact that they had, had a thing a month back. Somehow that seemed to raise my back even more and I wanted nothing more than to go to Drea and state my claim over her but the minute that I did that, I could kiss her goodbye for good.

'_Jeffrey Nero Hardy – I am not a possession that you can fight over and I do not appreciate you coming over here and marking your territory!' _I could just hear her now and I couldn't stop the smile from coming to my face.

Sometimes Drea really could be so naïve when it came to the opposite sex; she just couldn't switch her charm on and off – it was always there and it was always pulling people to her. Just look at Phoebe.

I still didn't know what we were going to do about her – I mean sure I could sit here and pretend that she wasn't a huge problem and that everything would work out fine but that would mean ignoring the knot in my stomach that said that Phoebe was more of a danger than any of us were willing to admit. The thing was if Phoebe were a man; I knew what I would do but because she was a woman, it didn't seem like there was anything that I could do.

"How's it going with you 2?" Jericho asked me as he turned and followed my gaze towards Randy Orton. "Aaahhh ok I understand but you gotta know that, that was a one off!"

"How can you sleep with someone and be intimate with them and just have it as a one off?"

"She didn't sleep with him!" he told me turning back to meet my gaze.

"What?"

"Drea didn't sleep with Randy,"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Well I bumped in to her later that day – I was teasing her about it and she said that they had spent the night talking, they took a walk along the beach and talked some more, she did say that there was a lot of kissing but definitely no sex,"

As I watched him, I knew that he was telling me the truth – Drea hadn't slept with Randy Orton – she hadn't taken things further than just a few harmless kisses and somehow that made my heart sing. I felt light and free; there was nothing about it that told me that Chris was lying. Besides, he had never lied to me in the past – in fact he had always been a good friend to not only myself but to Drea too.

"You're serious?"

"Absolutely – I mean come on; there was no way that she was going to sleep with him when all she could think about was you," he replied. "That just isn't Drea and you know that,"

Of course he was right – for all the times that I had seen her with men, there had only been a couple that she had gotten really close too and allowed to share her bed and usually that happened when I was with someone. Looking back on it – I was surprised that she even gave me the time of day considering I seemed to just date anything with a pulse to get over what I had been feeling for her. Only to find that nothing worked.

Drea was in my blood.

Drea was running through my veins.

Drea was my heart and my soul.

In essence she was everything and more to me. I had very nearly messed it all up by the way I reacted lately. Bringing Phoebe in to our lives had been the worst mistake ever and I was paying for that dearly now. Maybe if I hadn't met her that night at the venue, she wouldn't have managed to get this close to us all and sell stories right, left and centre and maybe she wouldn't be stalking and making trouble for me and Drea now. Hell Drea and I could have gotten together long before we had.

Glancing back to her and seeing the way she was talking animatedly to my brother, the smile on her serene features while her hands flapped in the characteristic way they always did when she was excited, I knew in a heart beat that she was the one, and there would never be anyone else for me.

"You love her?" Jericho remarked.

"I do!" I wasn't ashamed or scared to admit it. "I have been in love with that girl for the better part of my life – nothing can change that,"

It was true – everything that I had ever wanted was in that woman, she had made me a better man, she had been patient with me over the years especially when it came to my suspensions from work and how I had at first sunk in to self pity but she had snapped me out of it, she had ensured that things weren't as bad as they seemed and that no matter what, she would always have my back.

With a friend like that – I didn't need anyone else. All I needed was her and her love. I could brave any storm with that surrounding me.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys so much for the support and the reviews - they truly do mean more than I can say; I love you guys for the patience that you have with me and the continued support that you all show me whenever I post a new chapter or a new fic - you truly blow me away. I love you loads; please if you want more just let me know :D **

**Harley  
xoxox**


	36. Chapter 36 The New HeavyWorld Champ!

**_If You Only Knew._**

**_Chapter 36 – The New World Heavyweight Champion._**

**_A Few Hours Later;_**

**_Drea's POV;_**

Proud doesn't seem to be the right word to fit the way I am feeling right now. Jeff had just had a gruelling match against CM Punk and I could see the way he was trying to mask the pain so no one would worry about him. That was another cool thing about being best friends with my boyfriend – I could tell when he was hurting, I could tell when he was lying, I could tell when he was trying to be funny or trying to hide the way he was really feeling. Right now, as we sit in the hotel bar with our friends, I can tell that he is trying to mask the pain.

Unfortunately trying to talk to him about it would only result in him feeling like a burden. With all the ailments that he had from the years of abuse on his body – he never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. I had to admire that because in truth, I was exactly the same way. I hated pity and I wouldn't have a bar of it.

So instead of trying to get him to go to bed and relax, I sat here next to him happy and almost carefree – it was hard trying to be carefree when someone you cared about was hurting. Feeling the tender touch of his thumb rubbing against the palm of my hand, I felt secure and protected here in this bubble that we and our friends shared with one another.

I listened to the happy chatter amongst my friends and couldn't help the happy swell that rose in me. We were a Family and there was no way that Phoebe was going to get in the middle of that. I had done a lot of thinking since we had found out about that damn video the other night and I was determined more than ever to make sure that I didn't lose sight of what was important to me and that was my friends and my Family. Phoebe could do whatever the hell she wanted because at the end of the day; we were going to stand together through it all.

Glancing around the group my eyes fell on Claire and Shannon; they were cuddled together on one of the sofas; Claire's hands were resting on her tummy and she seemed to be glowing with a radiant shine – I wondered if everyone else could see it. I knew that they had been trying for a baby for a while and I couldn't help but wonder if that was why she seemed so warm and different. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to be Parent's than those 2 – you just had to see the way they were with their dogs to know that any child born to them was going to be spoiled rotten and loved more than any child could ever dream to be.

Shannon was absentmindedly running his fingers through Claire's hair, it was an action that neither seemed aware of happening but that is what made them such a sweet couple – their support and love for one another was more than anyone could have ever predicted when they first got together.

Britt and Matt were snuggled together; Britt resting on Matt's lap and huddled in to his chest. It wasn't hard to see the connection between them either. The way they laced their fingers together, the way he whispered gently in her ear and the way she smiled at him as if he were the only man on the planet. To say they were happy with one another would be a wild underestimate and one that people were forever making of them. It made me mad as hell to think of the way some people talked about them – the age gap wasn't even a recognition of a issue between our 'Family' because just being around them for more than a minute; you could see that they were most definitely soul mates; if there were such a thing.

Matt had been so sweet when he had asked for my advice on asking Britt to marry him. I was so used to seeing him in control and knowing how to handle any given situation that seeing him like that had reminded me that indeed he was just a regular man. The love that he felt for Britt was unquestionable and there was no doubt in my mind that he would die to protect her.

"- baby?" Jeff's voice tore through my thoughts and splitting them up in to tiny little fragments.

"Mmmm? Sorry, I was miles away," I replied feeling the heat stinging my face.

"I can see that – everything ok?" he asked me with nothing but concern shining on his handsome features.

"Mmhmmm, I was just thinking about how lucky we all are to have one another,"

"Well they were all talking about going on to a club – do you want to go?"

The look in his eyes pleaded with me to say no – I could see that he just wanted a quiet night where he could relax and recoup before getting back in the ring tomorrow night in New York. I would always support Jeff and what he wanted to do but Vince had his employees completely strung out with the amount of work they had to do. I was glad that Jeff had decided to take time out – it would do his body good.

"Actually do you mind if we skip it? I am beat and want to just go to bed and chill," I replied touching the side of his face lightly and feeling the shiver in his body.

"You know I love you right?" He whispered as he slowly moved so his lips were close to my ear and I could feel my own shiver snake through my body.

"Oh my God you guys need to get a room!" Shannon exclaimed.

Both Jeff and I flipped him the bird before slowly getting to our feet, we bid our friends goodnight and headed in the direction of the elevators to take us up to the floor where our suite was.

It was good to see that as a couple we could do things without having to hang out with the rest of the group. I guess when we first got together, I was worried that it would feel weird just me and Jeff hanging out alone but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I didn't know many people who could say that their best friend was also their lover – I felt extremely blessed to have all of that with Jeff and know without a shadow of a doubt that in his arms was exactly where I belong.

I could feel the heat coming from him as he stood right next to me; his eyes looking down at me, and as much as I wanted to say that he was looking in to my eyes, I knew that he wasn't; his eyes were undoubtedly looking down the top that I was wearing. I watched the way his tongue slowly darted out of his mouth and licked slowly over his lips. My entire body shuddered with excitement.

Slowly snaking his arm around my waist; his hand gently rested against the small of my back and I could feel the chemistry sparking off the chart between us; he had that wild look in his eyes that told me that I was going to most probably spend the rest of the night screaming his name. I most definitely didn't mind that in the slightest – making love to this man was like nothing I had ever experienced, it was sensual, it was consuming, it was passionate and it was pure love. I was aware of how corny that must sound but that was the only way to describe it.

My stomach did that little rollercoaster dip of excitement at the thought of what was to come when I felt the callous roughness of his fingers brushing against my hip. While the hot caress of his breath brushed against my neck and I was sure that he was trying to cause me some form of damage. My heart was racing, my palms were turning damp and I could feel that now familiar stirring between my legs.

"_You know I've always wanted to do it in a elevator!" _He growled in a whisper into my ear.

"_Oh really? Well it's a good thing I have on a skirt then isn't it?" _I managed to purr seductively back to him as my eyes met his and it was like a meeting of the minds; desperation was kicking in, the need to feel him deep inside me was taking over and I could hardly see straight as we waited as patiently as we could for the shaft to come back down to the ground floor.

"_You look so fucking good in that skirt may I add -!"_I started to object only to be silenced by the feel of his hot lips pressing into mine hungrily.

"You don't need to butter me up; I know that you -!"

As the kiss deepened his grip on my hip tightened and pulled me a little closer or maybe it was intended on keeping me in a vertical stance as opposed to sliding down to the ground where my legs seemed intent on carrying me.

Finally the ding of the elevator reaching our position tore us apart long enough to get inside, close the doors and wait for the perfect opportunity to press the stop button. Pushed hard against the back wall, I felt all of my senses heighten with anticipation – all I wanted was to feel the love flowing between us, I wanted to feel his body grinding into mine and I wanted to feel his touch all over.

**_Jeff's POV;_**

For the whole night all I had been able to think about was this woman, I wanted her almost every second of every minute that I was awake – I had never felt so completely consumed by a woman before. We were more than great together – we were everything that you could ever want.

Reaching behind me, I pulled out the stop button and felt the jerk of the shaft coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of floors 4 & 5. Turning back to look at her my stomach twisted in a knot of excitement and as I went to lay my newly acquired belt to the floor, she reached out and stopped me.

"_Put it on!" _She purred leaning in and placing light feather kisses to my neck all the while her fingers were working on the zipper of my jeans until they were bunched around my ankles. "You look so sexy and irresistible in that belt,"

Doing as she had requested, I slipped it around my waist and tied it into place before turning my attention back to her; my hands curved around the dips of her body, feeling the way she began panting had my need heighten quickly and I was ripping the shirt open in one violent motion and buttons scattered away; desperately trying to get away from the heat that was building between us.

Seeing the way her breasts were bursting over the top of the lace bra that she was wearing, seeing the panting stomach as her breath raced away from her and feeling the heat of her frame under my fingers as they caressed over her already hard nipples, my mouth began to water and I was struggling not to throw her to the floor and have her right there in my way. However; it was clear that she had her own intentions of how this was going to go. Raising one leg around my hips; she didn't need to prompt me anymore as I quickly pulled her up and her legs wrapped around me like a serpent encircling its prey. Sliding her up the back wall of the elevator shaft, my eyes looked up in to the liquid honey colour of her own and I could feel the real world slipping away until it was just me and her alone.

"_Mmmmmm Jeff," _she purred softly as her fingers laced through my hair and I could feel myself shiver desperately.

"_Mmmmmm?"_

_  
"I want you to take me – I want you to power in to me so hard I'm screaming your name," _she whispered once again almost as if she were the calm before the storm of desire between us hit.

Ensuring that her body was pinned against the wall, I slid my hands down her back and cupped her perfectly sized ass and plunged my cock so deep in her that she let out a long gasp before screaming my name.

The feel of her insides opening up to me, the feel of the satin smooth walls clamping around my raging hard on, I was in bliss, I was lost in the pleasure that had erupted out of us and I was lost in this woman so badly that a team of wild horses couldn't have pulled me away from her.

"_Mmmmmm Jeff you feel so hard – mmmmmm oh God yes right there!" _she panted heavily as her fingers tightened around my hair and pulled hard as my hips charged against her own in reckless abandon.

The gold of the belt was digging and scraping across her flesh as her hips moved in time with my own – I hadn't thought that I would have this much strength left in me after the match tonight but there was nothing more empowering than making love to this woman. The tender quiver inside her pussy was gripping me, releasing me and gripping me again to the point where I was pretty sure that the stars flashing before my eyes were real.

Feeling the full magnitude of her pleasure spreading over my cock like a sheathe was more than I could stand; my hips charged harder and faster against her while her nails began to scratch down my back and made me glad that I still had my shirt on. The feel of her legs tightening around my waist told me that she was trying to build the friction between us and I was thundering more powerfully in to her than ever before.

"_Mmmmmmm oh God Drea – mmmmmm you're so warm and so wet; mmmmm aaaaahhhhh Jesus!" _I grunted desperately.

My teeth bit in to her chest hungrily until she was almost howling; lost somewhere between pleasure and pain. My body crashed against hers forcefully, I was lost in the moment, lost in the power that she held over me and lost the things that she could make me feel that I didn't care if it was wrong to be doing this in a place where we could get caught especially after the video incident.

Sweat encased both of us, heat grew until the elevator shaft felt like a sauna and I was struggling to remain focused until her pleasure had hit. With each long, hard thrust of my hips; she was panting my name, with every long, slow withdrawal came a long desperate sigh and I couldn't distinguish between which sound I loved more – the sound of her complete satisfaction or the sound of desperate need to feel me nailing her to the wall.

Thanking the Lord for ensuring that this elevator didn't have glass windows in it because I knew that they would have steamed up by now, I charged 3 more times in to her core – every move harder than the previous and that was when I literally felt the explosion beginning to rock deep inside her chamber.

"_Jeff, Jeff, JJJJJJJJEEEEEEFFFFFFFFF!" _she screamed out as her head fell back against the wood of the shaft and she panted out of breath but her hips kept the pace that I had set.

With the feel of her hot milky cum dripping over my cock, I gave one hard thrust in to her and I was erupting in a volcano of hot lava in to her core and roaring out of me like a man possessed.

"_DDDDDDDRRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAAAA!" _

After a few moments of jerking against her panting frame, we both came to a natural stop but remained linked together as we tried to capture a healthy respectable pattern to our breathing. Nothing had ever felt this right; nothing would ever eclipse this woman and what we shared together.

Phoebe could huff and puff as much as she liked but there was no way that she was coming in between us ever again.

**R/N - THANK YOU guys so much for the support and the reviews - they truly do mean more than I can say; I love you guys for the patience that you have with me and the continued support that you all show me whenever I post a new chapter or a new fic - you truly blow me away. I love you loads; please if you want more just let me know :D Last Chapter on Monday - it's a long one so be prepared :D**

**Harley  
xoxox**


	37. Chapter 37 Enough is Enough!

**_If You Only Knew._**

**_Chapter 37 – Enough is Enough!_**

**_The following night;_**

**_Cameron, North Carolina;_**

**_Drea's POV;_**

God it felt good to be home. I liked being on the road with my friends but home was really where I felt the most comfortable. And now that I was with Jeff; it felt more like home than anytime before. I couldn't explain it but fate finally decided to give us a break and even in my wildest dreams I couldn't have wished or hoped for it to feel this right.

Shannon, Claire, Matt and Brittany had all headed home to their own places. My eyes had closed on the ride home, which was unusual for me. Usually I loved to watch the countryside slide by. However, last night, after the encounter in the elevator – it had seemed that Jeff had found his second wind and we had spent the whole night making love. My whole body felt like I had been the one who had been in the ring with CM Punk last night.

Was it possible to get high from such amazing sex?

"What's got you grinning like the joker?" Jeff asked glancing at me before he took the turn off that led to the imag-I-nation.

"I'm just thinking about last night," I smiled at him as I placed my hand over the top of his that was resting on my leg.

"Not the airplane?"

When we had been on the plane on the way home; it had been like a fuse between us had been withered away, exposing an undeniable, raw circuit of passion that had been quenched in the impossibly small toilet.

"Oh trust me – my mind if locking that one up for later consumption," I admitted.

"You know you say all the right things," he chuckled as our home came into view.

Home – mine and Jeff's home; that was somewhat weird to think about but in a completely good way. For my whole life, I knew that anywhere with Jeff was home for me. The man had been my saviour in more ways than one. Not only had he saved me from suffocating Parent's, but he had saved me from losing myself after I had lost Daniel and now we were together in the way that we had always hoped for. There was no moment when I regretted getting together with my best friend; it felt like it had only strengthened our connection.

"We're home gorgeous," my boyfriend said smiling as the car came to a stop right outside the newly built home.

"Thank the Lord,"

"Tell me about it,"

The both of us clambered out of the car; leaving our luggage in the boot of the car for the moment. In a silent agreement; all we wanted to do was sleep. It had been a long day – Jeff had photo shoots, media interviews, fan meet and greets, a WWE signing event and then the taping of the show and to have done it all with no sleep was an amazing feet on his part.

"It really does feel good to be home, don't you think?" he asked locking the front door behind me.

Moving towards me his eyes blazed with a desire that matched my own building lust. Wrapping his arm around me, he kissed me so powerfully that I felt my knees weaken and my heart racing. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He growled quietly in to my ear.

"Me? Are you kidding me?" I asked back as I ushered us towards the stairs that would take us towards his bedroom.

Letting my body rest against his frame, I felt all the love that I felt for him building. But tonight I wanted more than a kiss; after watching him perform I was more than ready for him. The sound of my cell phone ringing in my pocket interrupted my train of thought. Pulling my phone out, I answered without checking caller ID.

"Hello…?" No answer; silence creeped in to my ears. "Hello…? Hello?" Still nothing; I ended the connection figuring that somehow someone had gotten the wrong number.

**_Jeff's POV;_**

My God she was stunning dressed in; a black tighter than tight trouser suit that clung to her in all the right places until all I wanted to do was rip the material from her body and take her; make her feel things that she had never felt with anyone. Under the black jacket was a tight fitting t-shirt that accented everything that she had to offer. Chunky high heeled boots made her stand a little taller than she really was. The way her long hair hung down her back; seemed to be taunting me. I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in her beautiful locks. To let her amazing spicy perfume invade every inch of my being.

"What made you realize that you liked me?" I asked finally breaking the kiss.

"That first morning that I saw you with Phoebe!" She admitted quietly. "I couldn't stop the jealousy from sweeping through me when I saw her in your arms,"

"That long ago?" I was shocked. I had, had no idea! Had I known I would never have let things with Phoebe get so out of control.

"Mmhmm!" She looked down at her feet as the heat stung her beautiful features.

"Baby, I am so sorry!" Gently reaching my hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at me. "If I had known…"

"But you didn't Jeff,"

"I…"

"Forget about it! All that matters is that we are together now," She said reaching her hand to my face and running her fingers lightly over my skin causing me to react by trembling uncontrollably. "You're here in my arms now and that is all that matters,"

"I know! I love you Drea, I have always loved you and I always will," I growled softly.

**_Drea's POV;_**

I couldn't believe it; he loved me! I had finally gotten the guy and I wasn't about to let him go! Not for anyone! Now that I had Daniel's blessing, now that I knew that my husband was ok with it, I could allow myself to feel everything that I had been trying to squash. Looking deep in to his beautiful, soulful eyes I could feel everything I had ever wanted flashing back at me wildly.

"Jeff…I-I…love you too!" I said softly.

"Y-You do?"

"Y-Yes I love you very much. I am just sorry that it has taken me so long to see it and admit it,"

"You don't have anything to be sorry about baby, you came round that is all that matters," Placing his lips tenderly to my forehead I felt all the love he had for me flowing through the kiss.

"Thank you Jeff," I replied bringing my arms around his neck, I pressed my lips to his hungrily. Melting in to me he kissed me with a passion that rendered me completely powerless.

Running his hands over every curve on my body as he led the way down the hallway; kicking the door to his room open, as he never gave up his assault on my mouth or body. We stumbled in to his room, kicking the door behind him we started tearing at each other's cloths until we heard;

"Uh-hum?"

**_Jeff's POV;_**

Stopping mid kiss at the sudden sound of a female clearing her throat. My eyes locked firmly on Drea; had that been her? No it wasn't she looked as surprised as I did.

Slowly we turned to see Phoebe lying on the bed; naked and obviously waiting for me! What the hell was this girl trying to do? Did she really want me? Or was she intent just on keeping Drea and I apart.

"Phoebe?" I asked looking at her and feeling absolutely nothing for her. My hard on wasn't from the sight of her naked on my bed; it was from the way that Drea had been kissing me, the feel of her hands running over my flesh, tugging desperately on my cloths as we had backed in to my room.

"Yes! Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" she asked making no attempt to cover herself up; making no attempt to regain her composure.

"What do you mean…? What the hell is going on?"

"Well I have been sitting at home here all this time waiting to see my man and I find him kissing some other woman and not just any woman but the tart who you said you weren't interested in…"

"You don't get to talk about Drea like that!" I growled warningly. Drea gently placed her hand to my arm and offered a supportive squeeze.

"It's ok Nero!" She smiled at me softly. God why did Phoebe have to show up now? "It's obvious to me that we have made a mistake," she said looking me in the eye.

"What? No we haven't…" I whirled to look at Phoebe. "You…? I told you that it was over,"

"You told me that you didn't think we should see each other…and it is obvious to me now that you only did that because you were being manipulated by this bitch!" Phoebe finally started to get up.

"You're right Phoebe! I am sorry…I should never have tried to take Jeff away from you,"

What was she doing? Did she really mean that? Looking at her, I could see her jaw was tense and I suddenly realized that she didn't mean it, she was just trying to keep the situation calm and in a controlled manner. "No you shouldn't have Drea! Jeff I told you that she was a manipulator but you didn't listen to me,"

"I'm sorry Phoebe!" Drea said softly as she moved further in to the room.

"Why do you hate me so much Drea?" Phoebe asked.

"Can't you see?"

"See what?" she asked softening towards Drea as I hung back unprepared to pretend that I wanted nothing to do with Drea; I couldn't pretend; she meant more to me than I had ever thought was possible.

My eyes fell on Drea's hands that were placed behind her back, in a crossed position she took a deep breath. "I thought that if I could split you and Jeff up that you would see that you are meant to be with me," She said reaching the bed and sitting down.

"Y-You…You d-don't mean t-that," Phoebe said watching Drea closely as I started to back out of the room. I knew what Drea was trying to do, I knew that she needed me to go and get help. I didn't want to leave her alone in the room with this psycho but I knew better than anyone that Drea could look after herself.

"Yes Phoebe, I do…I have tried to hide the way I feel about you but I-I just…I can't! I want you to be with me baby," Drea soothed softly as I gently and silently closed the door behind me.

Racing along the corridor that moments earlier held nothing but passion and the promise of being with the girl that I loved and now it seemed to go on forever and forever as I tried to get to the stairs as quickly as possible.

Tearing a path from the stairs to the front door, my eyes fell on my car where my phone was still hiding in the glove compartment. Dialing my brother's number, I desperately waited for him to answer "Matt!" I gasped.

"What? What's wrong? Has something happened to Drea?" He asked instantly as he answered sensing that something was wrong, which wasn't unusual for my brother.

"Phoebe…she…in…my…when-we-got…up-there…waiting-for-us!" I panted out of control.

"WHAT?" Matt yelled moving for the elevator. "And you left her there alone with that psycho?"

"She is handling it Matt! Do you really think that I would leave her there alone if I thought there was a chance of her being in danger?" I snapped.

"I don't know Jeff…" he said, "what do you want me to do?"

"Call the cops for me, I have to get back to check on them,"

"No – you wait outside until we get there, we're on the way!"

Wait for them – was he crazy? How could I just sit back here and wait for them to get here? 'Cos if you go back up there you might cause Phoebe to snap and do something stupid. I knew that but it didn't make waiting any easier so I started pacing as quickly as I could until I was afraid that I was digging a trench in the ground in front of my front door. Finally they appeared with Shannon and Claire pulling in behind my brother and Brittany.

Without saying anything; Matt, Shannon and I came to a silent agreement that we were going in there to see what we could do so the 3 of us raced back into the house and up the stair and then along the corridor and burst in to the room to see Phoebe sat on the floor bloody nose and Drea pacing angrily.

"Drea baby!" I whispered moving to her and wrapping her up in my arms. "What happened?"

"She tried to…" Drea couldn't get it out as I watched Shannon and Matt pulling the girl to her feet. "Get her fucking dressed and out of this house," Drea said snapping. Who did as she requested. Matt stood watching as I held my girl close to me, as she clung to me tightly. "And this never gets mentioned again," She snapped.

"Drea?" Shannon questioned softly.

"What?"

"Don't you think that maybe this girl needs help…?"

"Yeah the help of my fist on her fucking face!" Drea snapped as she shuddered at what ever had caused her to knock Drea out.

"No I mean professional help Drea…"

"Well it isn't like we can do anything now Matt," I said looking at him in disbelief.

"Well I was thinking I could take her to Raleigh and get her in to see a shrink or something?" Shannon offered obviously feeling bad for the girl who was now dressed and being held away from Drea who looked from Shannon to the girl.  
"Drea I love you!" Phoebe said trying in vain to get out of the burly men's grip. I could feel Drea tense at the girl's admission.

"Yeah I think that is maybe a good idea," Drea finally relented looking at the girl.

"Please Drea we could be so good together," Phoebe pleaded.

"No Phoebe we couldn't! I am not…I don't…I like men!" She finally got out what she wanted to say.

"But we are meant to be…"

"I SAID NO!" Drea yelled angrily. "Go Shannon before I do more damage than I should,"

"You got it," Shannon slowly reached for the woman and led her out of the room with Matt right behind them.

Finally giving in Drea collapsed against my frame.

**_Drea's POV;_**

I wanted to shower; I wanted to scrub until I bled. I wasn't in to women never had been; I had never questioned my sexual orientation. Holding on to Jeff tightly as the thoughts and memories of Phoebe trying to kiss me, trying to pull at my cloths invaded my every sense until I felt sick.

The feel of Jeff's hand running up and down my back supportively left my body slowly starting to calm down. "You ok princess?" He asked softly.

Pulling back from his chest where I had buried my head, I looked in to his eyes and could feel everything slipping away.

"I just…I want to…help me forget?" I asked as I brushed my lips over his tenderly. Caving against me he slowly and gently deepened the kiss until our tongues were caressing each other, tasting each other, exploring each other's mouths.

"Drea…I-I…are you sure you are ready for this?" Jeff panted breaking the kiss.

"Jeff I have never been more ready than right now," I admitted hungrily as I pulled him in to another hot, long desperate kiss. "Mmm!" I purred softly as his hands slowly began to roam over my curves. Reaching the front of my jacket he pulled it from my frame and threw it to the floor.

"Oh God Drea you're so beautiful," He growled hungrily as he reached to the bottom of my white t-shirt and began to pull it up over my curves letting his hands graze lightly over my flesh until I was shivering uncontrollably.

"Jeff oh God!" I panted out of control. Following his lead I pulled his cloths from his frame until we were both naked and panting out of control.

The feel of his soft, smooth hands over my flesh was enough to almost send me crazy with desire and want. Lightly tracing the tips of my finger tips up over his abs until I reached his nipples…leaving him shivering desperately as his hands grabbed for my ass and pulled me hard against his frame.

"Drea oh…God baby…I want you so much," He growled his desperation. Moving until I had led him out on to the balcony; the feel of the cool southern air wrapped around us tightly; holding us firmly in its tight grip. Every inch of my body, every nerve inside me was heightened from his amazingly soft smooth touch causing my breath to race away from me.

**_Jeff's POV;_**

Guiding me backwards until I was lying back on the balcony recliner. Standing over me; legs spread to either side of the chair I let my eyes feast on her amazing frame.

Sliding my hands up the outside of her amazing toned, tanned legs that seemed to go on forever.

I had imagined how soft her amazing skin would feel; I hadn't for one minute expected her to feel so silky, satin smooth and soft. I was about ready to burst from the desire that watching her from this angle, stirred inside me.

My eyes feasted on every inch of her naked frame; over her pussy, her toned abs, her soft breasts, in to her amazing dark hair and finally in to her desire filled; beautiful dark eyes that held my stare.

"Touch me Jeff?" She pleaded softly as the sound of the river next to the house reached the balcony.

"Where?" I growled as my fingers traced a light steady line over her pelvis; causing her to shiver desperately.

"Anywhere…everywhere!" She panted.

Seeing her stood over me, naked ready for the taking I couldn't want her more, I couldn't be more ready for her as my cock throbbed madly desperately begging for attention.

Watching her as she slowly ran her hands through her long seductive hair sliding down her neck until she reached her breasts. Looking in to my eye, she whispered softly; "Do you want me to touch myself?" The purr was enough to leave me gasping for air.

"Yes! Oh God yes!" I growled as hunger and desire rose in me like a tidal wave ready to erupt.

"Mmm! I am glad you said that," She purred her eyes staying locked on mine her hands tenderly began to glide over her nipples as my own hands seemed unable to move as I watched in suspended arousal at my girl as she touched herself with a tenderness that only a woman could achieve. "Jeff touch me please?" She begged her eyes pleading with me as she continued to touch herself.

As if that was all I needed my hands began to glide over her amazing frame again. My eyes feasted on every inch of her; the way her hips slowly swayed as she continued to touch herself, I tried everything I could not to focus on that but damn it she was turning me on like no woman had ever turned me on.

"Drea baby?" I growled as my hand slowly and lightly rubbed over her warm, wet pussy.

"Mmm!" She purred rocking her hips against my hand as I slowly slipped my fingers in to her wet pussy. "Yes oh God yes!" She purred looking deep in to my eyes as my fingers claimed her insides and my eyes watched as her own hands claimed her own breasts.

"I want you Drea, I want more than this, I need to feel your insides swirling around my cock," I begged desperately.

"Mmm!" She tilted her head to the side and smiled at me. Pulling her hips away from fingers causing me to withdraw from her warm, wet, amazingly soft chamber.

"W-What are you d-doing?" I panted out of control.

"You'll see," She purred softly as she lifted one leg from the side of the recliner and slowly turned so that her back was facing me; lowering herself down on to my rock hard thick cock.

"Drea oh God! You feel so good," I growled as my hunger reached new levels. The feel of her soft, wet, warm insides molding around the entire length of my shaft as she pushed herself until she had devoured my entire cock.

Sitting up, my chest pressed hard against her back as my hands slowly traced light feather lines around her body until I was gliding my fingers over her erect nipples.

"Mmm Jeff that feels…you feel so good," She purred as she slid her pussy up and down the entire length of my cock as my fingers grazed roughly and then gently over her nipples.

Resting my chin on her shoulder, I let my eyes devour her from this angle. She really had the most amazingly beautiful body that I had ever seen.

"Drea oh God, I love you!" I growled as desire and hunger and lust and love became one entity.

"I-I love y-you too," She purred running her hand around my neck holding my face close to hers. The feel of her fingers running through my long hair, had me loose my rhythm for a mere second. "Jeff!" She panted softly as she reached her free hand to one of my hands that were on her breasts. Pulling me away from the soft, smooth flesh and gliding me down the centre of her body. "I want to feel…your fingers inside me," She panted as she helped guide my fingers to inside her wet, warm chamber.

"OH GOD DREA!" I growled hungrily as the feel of her clit lapping around our fingers as we both stroked her towards climax; the feel of her entire pussy eating me up felt better than I had allowed myself to remember.

Biting on her exposed neck left her crashing over and over. Slamming down hard on my cock as her release took her higher and higher caused my own eruption to come exploding out of me in long, debilitating spurts of passion. Sensing that I was momentarily out of commission Drea; continued to slam down on to my shaft drawing both of our releases out of us until I thought it was never going to end.

Nibbling hungrily on her exposed flesh as she removed her arm from around my neck; seemingly satisfied that I wasn't removing my face from her neck, she reached the now free hand to my hand that was over her breasts; guiding me until I was nipping forcefully on the swelling bud.

"YES OH GOD YES!" She screamed out and it seemed to echo around the area of the house, bouncing back in on us as we rode the wave to pleasure together.

As it slowly began to pass our movements reacted in kind until we weren't moving no more but we stayed connected. Panting breathlessly our heads resting together as we stared out over the country side that surrounded the house.

"That…was…Jeff…you-are…amazing!" She panted out of control.

"Oh God Drea; it's all down to you! What you do to me," I growled placing my lips to her neck as her upper body collapsed against me. Sweat beaded our bodies as we both fell back against the recliner. Staying connected until Drea slowly got to her feet. Leaving me lying on the recliner she disappeared in to the room.

"Where are you going?" I growled after her.

With no reply she eventually moved back out on to the balcony carrying the duvet from my bed, she climbed on to the recliner next to me and wrapped the blanket over our naked bodies. Snuggling down in to my embrace I couldn't have felt more content had I tried.

Slowly we drifted to sleep with the knowledge that Phoebe was gone from our lives now and we could just get on with our newly entwined lives and that was something that we had both wanted for the longest time. If Drea had only known sooner how I felt about her; then we wouldn't have had to go through all this Hell to get us to this point.

**THE END! THANK YOU to everyone who has read and commented or added as a fave - you make writing all the much more worthwhile; I can't thank you all enough, I love you all to bits.**

**Harley  
xoxox**


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